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The Arsenal #1
Jagged Edge
Mary “The Edge” Reynolds is the most sought-after back office operative around-the creative genius pulling the ultimate bad-asses out of impossible situations. She’s never failed on a mission, and she’s not about to fail on the most important mission ever-keeping her newly designed security system safe. Relying on others isn’t in her nature, but the newly formed Arsenal is her only hope for escape when she’s kidnapped.
She is the Edge.
The Edge never breaks.
Never quits.
Dylan Mason and his brothers have put everything on the line to form The Arsenal. When the paramilitary arena is rocked by Edge’s capture, he’ll do whatever it takes to get the fearless operative back, but his wary heart isn’t ready to handle the vulnerable woman buried beneath the hardened shell. Getting her back was simple. Keeping her and her “security system” HERA out of enemy hands is another story.
Together they must hunt down the faction behind her capture and subsequent torture to keep HERA from becoming an unstoppable terroristic threat. What they uncover could destroy them both.
She is the Edge.
The Edge never breaks.
Never quits.
Dylan Mason and his brothers have put everything on the line to form The Arsenal. When the paramilitary arena is rocked by Edge’s capture, he’ll do whatever it takes to get the fearless operative back, but his wary heart isn’t ready to handle the vulnerable woman buried beneath the hardened shell. Getting her back was simple. Keeping her and her “security system” HERA out of enemy hands is another story.
Together they must hunt down the faction behind her capture and subsequent torture to keep HERA from becoming an unstoppable terroristic threat. What they uncover could destroy them both.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2017
1127 people are currently reading
745 people want to read
About the author
Cara Carnes
67 books384 followersBorn in small-town Texas, Cara Carnes was a princess, a pirate, fashion model, actress, rock star and Jon Bon Jovi’s wife all before the age of 13.
In reality, her fascination for enthralling worlds took seed somewhere amidst a somewhat dull day job and a wonderful life filled with family and friends. When she’s not cemented to her chair, Cara loves travelling, photography and reading.
More information about Cara can be found at www.caracarnes.com.
In reality, her fascination for enthralling worlds took seed somewhere amidst a somewhat dull day job and a wonderful life filled with family and friends. When she’s not cemented to her chair, Cara loves travelling, photography and reading.
More information about Cara can be found at www.caracarnes.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
December 21, 2017
Jagged Edge
Cara Carnes
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a super suspenseful action packed read. Mary who is a female operative is kidnapped and tortured. After she is rescued she pulls out all the stops to figure out who was behind her kidnapping and who wants her dead. Her rescuer is another operative who has built a paramilitary company with his brothers. As expected Mary falls for her rescuer. And he is super protective and will do anything within his means to keep her safe.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading this book. It definitely wasn’t what I expected it to be but I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
Cara Carnes
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a super suspenseful action packed read. Mary who is a female operative is kidnapped and tortured. After she is rescued she pulls out all the stops to figure out who was behind her kidnapping and who wants her dead. Her rescuer is another operative who has built a paramilitary company with his brothers. As expected Mary falls for her rescuer. And he is super protective and will do anything within his means to keep her safe.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed reading this book. It definitely wasn’t what I expected it to be but I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
February 25, 2019
Mary “The Edge” Reynolds and Viviana “Quillery” Chambers are the most sought central command operational geniuses who have a reputation for 100% success in many high level/high risk military missions. They're that good.
It's only after Mary is abducted, tortured, abused, and broken, but ultimately freed, that the two decide to leave and create their own independent security firm. Trouble is they need the brawn to back up their brains.
Dylan Mason and his brothers started a paramilitary security firm that is gaining a reputation for professional top notch service - going over and above to assure success - though they lack the top secret connection intel of any government contacts or resources.
Mary & Viviana may just be the answer as they created HERA (Heuristic Engagement Recovery Apparatus), an ultimate weapons/surveillance security system not seen anywhere, anytime before. With HERA they could revolutionize status quo but they are a package deal. There is no Edge without Quillery and vice versa. The problem is Mary 'The Edge' has been abducted with little hope that she's going to make it out alive.
* * * *
New to me author and series. I'm working off this review only after I did a marathon read of the entire series (that have been published to date) in one sitting. The series is that good. That addictive. That attention grabbing.
The core of this book and series revolves around brainiac/geek females who are off the scale brilliant and able to out-think and out-smart their way to successful missions. Backed up by their proprietary HERA programming, they have it all bases covered for any mission they're responsible for. With their security software and top of the line drone technology, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Yet, they have enemies, who were able to grab Mary and do unspeakable things to her. Rescued, she survived, but it has taken a toll. I really connected with how she was able to move forward though the memories and residual real emotions were still a factor. She survived but at what cost?
Dylan. My hero. He has his own baggage and angst but deep down he is hanging on by a thread himself for reasons only known if you read this story.
A lot of this story resonated in so many ways for me. The beauty of reading this has left me pining for more. Did I happen to mention that I read all the available follow up installments, because I did.
I do want to add that the bulk of this story is action-adventure-suspense-thriller content that will appeal to male and female readers. The romance scenes are borderline adult content grade quality but for the circumstances I'm good with how things played out.
I strongly recommend this book/series for fans of contemporary action-suspense-thriller-erotic romance military fans. The unusual slant of the brainiac super females adds another layer of appreciation and enjoyment that I totally am a fan of.
It's only after Mary is abducted, tortured, abused, and broken, but ultimately freed, that the two decide to leave and create their own independent security firm. Trouble is they need the brawn to back up their brains.
Dylan Mason and his brothers started a paramilitary security firm that is gaining a reputation for professional top notch service - going over and above to assure success - though they lack the top secret connection intel of any government contacts or resources.
Mary & Viviana may just be the answer as they created HERA (Heuristic Engagement Recovery Apparatus), an ultimate weapons/surveillance security system not seen anywhere, anytime before. With HERA they could revolutionize status quo but they are a package deal. There is no Edge without Quillery and vice versa. The problem is Mary 'The Edge' has been abducted with little hope that she's going to make it out alive.
* * * *
New to me author and series. I'm working off this review only after I did a marathon read of the entire series (that have been published to date) in one sitting. The series is that good. That addictive. That attention grabbing.
The core of this book and series revolves around brainiac/geek females who are off the scale brilliant and able to out-think and out-smart their way to successful missions. Backed up by their proprietary HERA programming, they have it all bases covered for any mission they're responsible for. With their security software and top of the line drone technology, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Yet, they have enemies, who were able to grab Mary and do unspeakable things to her. Rescued, she survived, but it has taken a toll. I really connected with how she was able to move forward though the memories and residual real emotions were still a factor. She survived but at what cost?
Dylan. My hero. He has his own baggage and angst but deep down he is hanging on by a thread himself for reasons only known if you read this story.
A lot of this story resonated in so many ways for me. The beauty of reading this has left me pining for more. Did I happen to mention that I read all the available follow up installments, because I did.
I do want to add that the bulk of this story is action-adventure-suspense-thriller content that will appeal to male and female readers. The romance scenes are borderline adult content grade quality but for the circumstances I'm good with how things played out.
I strongly recommend this book/series for fans of contemporary action-suspense-thriller-erotic romance military fans. The unusual slant of the brainiac super females adds another layer of appreciation and enjoyment that I totally am a fan of.
October 17, 2017
A strong three and a half stars.
Mary Reynolds is 50% of the operational powerhouse known as the Quillery Edge, Mary is The Edge. Together she and her friend Vi have masterminded more SpecOps missions than anyone else. They are the brains behind the business known as The Hive. Some months ago the owner and founder of The Hive, Peter Rugers, had an 'accident' and died in mysterious circumstances. Since then Mary and Vi have been worked flat out by Peter's business partner Martin Driggs who is taking on questionable jobs and making reckless decisions.
The book opens with Mary having been captured, She is mentally and physically tortured, raped and drugged in an attempt to extract her secrets, especially the cutting edge HERA security program they developed, but not even the knowledge that the kidnappers are doing the same to Vi in the cell next door is enough to make her talk.
Dylan Mason and his six brothers run a rival organisation, The Arsenal, based in their small home town. Each of the brothers has special forces experience one way and another and they are in awe of the skills of The Edge. When they get a tip off that The Edge has been kidnapped they are 'all in' - but what do the kidnappers really want and who made the tip off?
I enjoy spec ops/romances but they can be a little formulaic and the male characters can be a bit like cardboard cut-outs, similarly many authors write these kick-ass female characters who nonetheless somehow need rescuing by a bigger, badder man. Not kidding, she could be the deadliest assassin in the world at the start of the book but halfway through she becomes a crying shaking wreck clinging to the arm of the alpha male.
Cara Carnes managed to avoid that pitfall. Mary Reynolds is focused on her job with a singular dedication, she has no hobbies and no life outside The Hive. She eats, breathes and sleeps missions and she's crazy good at what she does. She has trouble socialising, except with her three friends from MIT and she has body-image issues.
Dylan is the middle Mason brother, he has had a bad experience in the past and has sworn off relationships, but there's something about The Edge which gets under his skin. Except he realises that The Edge and Mary Reynolds are two very different people: the confident woman in the control room who orders around field operatives with calm authority, who flirts and deliberately pushes to get results and the timid woman behind the persona who feels she is worthless and expendable.
There's a whole load of backstory for Mary (and Dylan) that only gets alluded to, as a reader you are running to try to keep up with the pace of events and just trying to work out who is who and what is going on. I don't know whether there was a previous series or maybe a prequel novella but there's a lot of other stuff swirling around - I like that, I like that things from the past are referred to but don't actually have any impact on current events, that not every secret is revealed, that the reader is forced to guess and speculate and wonder.
I guessed who was behind the kidnapping - but then I probably had a guess list of four or five people so it's not as though it was that obvious.
My only fear is that each of Mary's friends will hook up with another Mason brother and that Dylan's sister Riley will hook up with one of the male operatives in an increasingly incestuous circle of romance.
There's no cliffhanger, although the Mason brothers discover that something wrong appears to be going on in the next town, people are getting hurt and the townspeople are running scared - presumably that's the subject of the next book.
I liked this, it reminded me somewhat of Elle Kennedy's excellent Killer Instincts series or Julie Ann Walker's Black Knights Inc series. I would definitely read the next in the series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
Mary Reynolds is 50% of the operational powerhouse known as the Quillery Edge, Mary is The Edge. Together she and her friend Vi have masterminded more SpecOps missions than anyone else. They are the brains behind the business known as The Hive. Some months ago the owner and founder of The Hive, Peter Rugers, had an 'accident' and died in mysterious circumstances. Since then Mary and Vi have been worked flat out by Peter's business partner Martin Driggs who is taking on questionable jobs and making reckless decisions.
The book opens with Mary having been captured, She is mentally and physically tortured, raped and drugged in an attempt to extract her secrets, especially the cutting edge HERA security program they developed, but not even the knowledge that the kidnappers are doing the same to Vi in the cell next door is enough to make her talk.
Dylan Mason and his six brothers run a rival organisation, The Arsenal, based in their small home town. Each of the brothers has special forces experience one way and another and they are in awe of the skills of The Edge. When they get a tip off that The Edge has been kidnapped they are 'all in' - but what do the kidnappers really want and who made the tip off?
I enjoy spec ops/romances but they can be a little formulaic and the male characters can be a bit like cardboard cut-outs, similarly many authors write these kick-ass female characters who nonetheless somehow need rescuing by a bigger, badder man. Not kidding, she could be the deadliest assassin in the world at the start of the book but halfway through she becomes a crying shaking wreck clinging to the arm of the alpha male.
Cara Carnes managed to avoid that pitfall. Mary Reynolds is focused on her job with a singular dedication, she has no hobbies and no life outside The Hive. She eats, breathes and sleeps missions and she's crazy good at what she does. She has trouble socialising, except with her three friends from MIT and she has body-image issues.
Dylan is the middle Mason brother, he has had a bad experience in the past and has sworn off relationships, but there's something about The Edge which gets under his skin. Except he realises that The Edge and Mary Reynolds are two very different people: the confident woman in the control room who orders around field operatives with calm authority, who flirts and deliberately pushes to get results and the timid woman behind the persona who feels she is worthless and expendable.
There's a whole load of backstory for Mary (and Dylan) that only gets alluded to, as a reader you are running to try to keep up with the pace of events and just trying to work out who is who and what is going on. I don't know whether there was a previous series or maybe a prequel novella but there's a lot of other stuff swirling around - I like that, I like that things from the past are referred to but don't actually have any impact on current events, that not every secret is revealed, that the reader is forced to guess and speculate and wonder.
I guessed who was behind the kidnapping - but then I probably had a guess list of four or five people so it's not as though it was that obvious.
My only fear is that each of Mary's friends will hook up with another Mason brother and that Dylan's sister Riley will hook up with one of the male operatives in an increasingly incestuous circle of romance.
There's no cliffhanger, although the Mason brothers discover that something wrong appears to be going on in the next town, people are getting hurt and the townspeople are running scared - presumably that's the subject of the next book.
I liked this, it reminded me somewhat of Elle Kennedy's excellent Killer Instincts series or Julie Ann Walker's Black Knights Inc series. I would definitely read the next in the series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Bumped for release.
November 2, 2021
I grabbed this book from Amazon when it was free but I also purchased the audiobook copy of it as well and I am sooooo glad I did. The narrator, Olivia Amayo, did a phenomenal job with bringing this story to life.
There were parts of this book that gutted me, I mean take this quote for instance: “I still hear your words from that night. I’ve gotta know you hear me, Mary. You are not disposable. You are more than Edge. So, give whatever you’ve gotta give of yourself so Edge can do her thing, but when I ask you to, step back and settle into the calm, be Mary. She’s who I’m protecting, not Edge.”
Did you catch the part where Mary thinks she's disposable, seriously?!?! Heart wrenching, truly heart wrenching.
There were parts of this book that gutted me, I mean take this quote for instance: “I still hear your words from that night. I’ve gotta know you hear me, Mary. You are not disposable. You are more than Edge. So, give whatever you’ve gotta give of yourself so Edge can do her thing, but when I ask you to, step back and settle into the calm, be Mary. She’s who I’m protecting, not Edge.”
Did you catch the part where Mary thinks she's disposable, seriously?!?! Heart wrenching, truly heart wrenching.
June 12, 2018
Missed The Mark
There was just too much going on with this story, quite a few loose ends and way too many characters.
For such highly trained operatives, the Masons missed clues and often appeared bumbling. There were stories within stories, which allow the author to spin into additional books, but it makes for a complicated and confusing read. Mary and Dylan were okay as a couple, but I really didn’t sense the chemistry.
Anyway, I finished the story but I won’t continue with the series.
There was just too much going on with this story, quite a few loose ends and way too many characters.
For such highly trained operatives, the Masons missed clues and often appeared bumbling. There were stories within stories, which allow the author to spin into additional books, but it makes for a complicated and confusing read. Mary and Dylan were okay as a couple, but I really didn’t sense the chemistry.
Anyway, I finished the story but I won’t continue with the series.
February 23, 2020
The opening to this book made me check to see if this was #2 in a series, but the author just drops us in the middle of everything, including one team of 6, another team of 7, some extended family, and assorted bad guys.
There is a central romance which develops slowly and falls into the normal patterns of over-protective male looming over a very competent (and deadly) woman. There are also a few sex scenes which were passionate, but didn't sizzle. There are many characters to build on as the series progresses.
The various conflict scenes are nicely detailed, with a casual "she shot 3 bad guys dead, and then moved to the next room" attitude that I like.
Note, there is a good bit of serious and graphic torture involving both male and female characters, so if that is a hard-limit, you might pass.
There is a central romance which develops slowly and falls into the normal patterns of over-protective male looming over a very competent (and deadly) woman. There are also a few sex scenes which were passionate, but didn't sizzle. There are many characters to build on as the series progresses.
The various conflict scenes are nicely detailed, with a casual "she shot 3 bad guys dead, and then moved to the next room" attitude that I like.
Note, there is a good bit of serious and graphic torture involving both male and female characters, so if that is a hard-limit, you might pass.
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November 26, 2024🎁 FREE on Amazon & on iBooks today (6/18/2019)! 🎁
September 24, 2024
Brilliant... edgy and had me page turning galore!
04/11/19
Yep, another re-read... I think part of the reason that I really love this ( and the whole series as it stands so far ) is that it truly ticks every single box for me. It is thrilling, suspenseful and not just a little sexy-smexy. Mary aka the Edge is truly a force to be reckoned with... and I love that Dylan isn't painted as a total alpha arsehole... he is alpha... but in a way that is far more realistic and conducive to a relationship. Onto Viviana and Jud methinks...
16/12/20
Just a few things that don't feel... 'finished' to me.
What happened with the operatives that Dylan et al captured when they recovered Mary. I know 2 were dead, but they had 2 alive. Mary took enough notes of who the others were... there was a scar, the ice-blue eyes... she is a genius and would've been able to trace them. Why wasn't that covered as part of her story? I know that the story is ongoing... but there really wasn't very much closure with the whole last hostage thing. I mean, it just felt a little anti-climatic. Then there are a couple of continuity things... the thing with Dylan/Hailey/Dallas... Dylan recalls walking in on Hailey and Dallas in his bed... but later on it is Marshall who walks in on them and then Hailey seeks Dylan out to tell him. Then the scene with Addy and the eunuch comment... Jesse leaves the room, but Mary apologises to him saying that she knew but hadn't said anything. Addy realises her words were hurtful... and then Jesse comes back into the room... makes no sense and has bugged me every time that I have read this.
But, apart from that... I LOVE LOVE LOVE Jagged Edge... I love the introduction to the Arsenal... and am now going to re-read all of the available ones!!
23/03/21 How much do I love these? Let me count the ways... nope. I can't. Honestly, every read is as good as the last. The continuity errors/unresolved plot threads still irk... but, the rest more than makes up for that.
Dylan and Mary are just wonderful!
( 20/07/21 I recently purchased the Audible version of this... the narrator didn't quite do it for me... and words that I had said in my head were pronounced so differently!! For example H.E.R.A in my head was 'Hear-ra' whereas narrator says 'Heh-ruh'... so odd! But, I have now bought 'Sight Lines', so we'll see how that pans out... love me some Jud! )
31/03/22 Seems that now that I have bought the Audible versions... they are my go-to bedtime listen. Just wish that they went beyond 'Battle Scars'.
04/11/19
Yep, another re-read... I think part of the reason that I really love this ( and the whole series as it stands so far ) is that it truly ticks every single box for me. It is thrilling, suspenseful and not just a little sexy-smexy. Mary aka the Edge is truly a force to be reckoned with... and I love that Dylan isn't painted as a total alpha arsehole... he is alpha... but in a way that is far more realistic and conducive to a relationship. Onto Viviana and Jud methinks...
16/12/20
Just a few things that don't feel... 'finished' to me.
What happened with the operatives that Dylan et al captured when they recovered Mary. I know 2 were dead, but they had 2 alive. Mary took enough notes of who the others were... there was a scar, the ice-blue eyes... she is a genius and would've been able to trace them. Why wasn't that covered as part of her story? I know that the story is ongoing... but there really wasn't very much closure with the whole last hostage thing. I mean, it just felt a little anti-climatic. Then there are a couple of continuity things... the thing with Dylan/Hailey/Dallas... Dylan recalls walking in on Hailey and Dallas in his bed... but later on it is Marshall who walks in on them and then Hailey seeks Dylan out to tell him. Then the scene with Addy and the eunuch comment... Jesse leaves the room, but Mary apologises to him saying that she knew but hadn't said anything. Addy realises her words were hurtful... and then Jesse comes back into the room... makes no sense and has bugged me every time that I have read this.
But, apart from that... I LOVE LOVE LOVE Jagged Edge... I love the introduction to the Arsenal... and am now going to re-read all of the available ones!!
23/03/21 How much do I love these? Let me count the ways... nope. I can't. Honestly, every read is as good as the last. The continuity errors/unresolved plot threads still irk... but, the rest more than makes up for that.
Dylan and Mary are just wonderful!
( 20/07/21 I recently purchased the Audible version of this... the narrator didn't quite do it for me... and words that I had said in my head were pronounced so differently!! For example H.E.R.A in my head was 'Hear-ra' whereas narrator says 'Heh-ruh'... so odd! But, I have now bought 'Sight Lines', so we'll see how that pans out... love me some Jud! )
31/03/22 Seems that now that I have bought the Audible versions... they are my go-to bedtime listen. Just wish that they went beyond 'Battle Scars'.
October 14, 2017
This book goes into some dark places and may have triggers for some readers. That said, Jagged Edge is a powerful story of survival and love and is the first in what looks to be a terrific new series. Mary “The Edge” Reynolds is my newest hero. She is smart and strong. She isn’t perfect but she seems to be perfect for Dylan Mason. Mary is like a lot of us who live for our work and forget about the woman we are and her needs. Everything is shunted aside for the job.
I was sucked into this book and didn’t leave until long after the last page.
I was sucked into this book and didn’t leave until long after the last page.
May 22, 2018
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
Okay I do believe that my mind is now blown. This book starts out by throwing you in the deep end with torture, rape, and so much more of the MC Mary that makes it really easy to get a hate on for the bad guys of the story. The problem is that the author is great at keeping their identity a secret no matter what you may think to the contrary. When Mary is rescued by the hunky Dylan and the rest of the Arsenal team things really start to come together. I was loving the tech stuff and the military like precision of the teams and the compound. This is one incredible group of women that I was really impressed with and the guys are no joke either. If you enjoy contemporary romantic suspense novels then you so have to read this book. I totally loved every minute of so I give it 5/5 stars.
Okay I do believe that my mind is now blown. This book starts out by throwing you in the deep end with torture, rape, and so much more of the MC Mary that makes it really easy to get a hate on for the bad guys of the story. The problem is that the author is great at keeping their identity a secret no matter what you may think to the contrary. When Mary is rescued by the hunky Dylan and the rest of the Arsenal team things really start to come together. I was loving the tech stuff and the military like precision of the teams and the compound. This is one incredible group of women that I was really impressed with and the guys are no joke either. If you enjoy contemporary romantic suspense novels then you so have to read this book. I totally loved every minute of so I give it 5/5 stars.
November 22, 2017
Loved it! One of the best books ever! Love the kick ass women and men. Love the action and the alpha male protection. Love the women who make the men stay on their toes and LOVE that this is a series I simply cannot wait for book two! WOW what a way to start a series.
Paramilitary and special ops, a group of brothers who own their own company after leaving the military. A group of women and operatives that run missions. And the crazy sister who is awesome!
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Paramilitary and special ops, a group of brothers who own their own company after leaving the military. A group of women and operatives that run missions. And the crazy sister who is awesome!
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 16, 2021
I enjoyed the storyline of this book for the most part. It felt pretty original for a action/romance novel but I did feel like I was jumping into the middle of a series. There was constant references to things I had no idea about and were kind of never explained throughout the book.
I was considering reading on in the series but I found it odd that the author would introduce a main character with multiple brothers as prominent side characters and then not use any of those siblings as main characters for the rest of the series.
I was considering reading on in the series but I found it odd that the author would introduce a main character with multiple brothers as prominent side characters and then not use any of those siblings as main characters for the rest of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2017
Wow…. Jagged Edge had everything that you would want in a romance; Thrill action, Suspense, and tons of romance.
Jagged Edge by Cara Carnes is the first book in her new series The Arsenal. The thrill ride you are taking on starts right for the first chapter when you see that Mary “Edge” Reynolds is held hostage, but soon rescued by the elite team named The Arsenal lead by nonother than Dylan Mason.
You would think that this was the same kind of trope, a woman being kidnapped, a man comes and saves her and they fall in love the end. However, Cara Carnes took it to a whole new level in Jagged Edge. Mary “Edge” Reynolds wasn’t your everyday kidnapped victim. She was part of an elite team herself on top of that she was the most sought-after back office operative around. In other words, Mary was a kickass woman who didn’t let anything come between her and getting justice.
What I loved about Jagged Edge was that even though Mary was set out to be this strong person who can take care of herself and other. The story held true, Mary is suffering from PTSD. But again, Carnes didn’t over embellish it, the seed was planted and that was all she needed for when Mary has episodes, you know it was because of the PTSD.
As the story later progress you the readers will learn that this may not be just about Edge, but something entirely.
Jagged Edge was one if many stories that I will certainly find myself reading over. and over, again this Fall.
So, if you’re a reader who likes high thrilling action with a strong leading lady, then add Jagged Edge to your list of book that you must read.
Jagged Edge by Cara Carnes is the first book in her new series The Arsenal. The thrill ride you are taking on starts right for the first chapter when you see that Mary “Edge” Reynolds is held hostage, but soon rescued by the elite team named The Arsenal lead by nonother than Dylan Mason.
You would think that this was the same kind of trope, a woman being kidnapped, a man comes and saves her and they fall in love the end. However, Cara Carnes took it to a whole new level in Jagged Edge. Mary “Edge” Reynolds wasn’t your everyday kidnapped victim. She was part of an elite team herself on top of that she was the most sought-after back office operative around. In other words, Mary was a kickass woman who didn’t let anything come between her and getting justice.
What I loved about Jagged Edge was that even though Mary was set out to be this strong person who can take care of herself and other. The story held true, Mary is suffering from PTSD. But again, Carnes didn’t over embellish it, the seed was planted and that was all she needed for when Mary has episodes, you know it was because of the PTSD.
As the story later progress you the readers will learn that this may not be just about Edge, but something entirely.
Jagged Edge was one if many stories that I will certainly find myself reading over. and over, again this Fall.
So, if you’re a reader who likes high thrilling action with a strong leading lady, then add Jagged Edge to your list of book that you must read.
September 29, 2020
2.5-3 stars...
This one I don't really know what to say. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. If I was reading this without an audiobook I don't feel as if I would have enjoyed this as much or even finished it at all.
Mary (The Edge) Reynolds is an interesting MC. I enjoyed seeing her grow a little bit more confident throughout the book, but the main thing is I didn't connect with her. She was a little all over the place for me, she would be very confident one second then self deprecating the next. I get the insecurities, especially after all that she went through, but I got a little annoyed after a while when she would always compare herself to a bridge troll.
Dylan Mason, he was great at the beginning and he was very supportive and knew what Mary would need. I think that the main reason he kept going down and down for me was the over use of "Sweetheart" it happened almost every single time he would talk to Mary. I loved it at the beginning but seeing it at least 5 times on the page would be annoying.
I also wish we got deeper in to the two main characters. Since this was a first book in a series we are bombarded with a crazy amount of characters. In this book we had at least 15 maybe more characters shoved in our face at the beginning that I was thinking I missed a whole book before this one. And with all of those characters and each of them trying to shine light on themselves so we would want to be invested in their books when they come up, I feel we lost the main characters of this book.
Overall it was an okay read, I felt like things were missing, but that didn't stop me from reading the whole thing. Thank god for audiobooks am I right?
This one I don't really know what to say. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. If I was reading this without an audiobook I don't feel as if I would have enjoyed this as much or even finished it at all.
Mary (The Edge) Reynolds is an interesting MC. I enjoyed seeing her grow a little bit more confident throughout the book, but the main thing is I didn't connect with her. She was a little all over the place for me, she would be very confident one second then self deprecating the next. I get the insecurities, especially after all that she went through, but I got a little annoyed after a while when she would always compare herself to a bridge troll.
Dylan Mason, he was great at the beginning and he was very supportive and knew what Mary would need. I think that the main reason he kept going down and down for me was the over use of "Sweetheart" it happened almost every single time he would talk to Mary. I loved it at the beginning but seeing it at least 5 times on the page would be annoying.
I also wish we got deeper in to the two main characters. Since this was a first book in a series we are bombarded with a crazy amount of characters. In this book we had at least 15 maybe more characters shoved in our face at the beginning that I was thinking I missed a whole book before this one. And with all of those characters and each of them trying to shine light on themselves so we would want to be invested in their books when they come up, I feel we lost the main characters of this book.
Overall it was an okay read, I felt like things were missing, but that didn't stop me from reading the whole thing. Thank god for audiobooks am I right?
September 11, 2017
HELLO HELLO HELLO!!!
I had a long weekend and was interrupted reading this a few times and at first I thought because of it Id have an issue getting back into the story. However Dylan and his panty melting smiles and brothers are hard to forget. I loved him as an MC and an alpha...whoop yum. Who doesn't like a man who will do what's best for a whip smart slightly damaged h.
This tugged at several heart strings for me. I loved both MC and their backstories. I especially loved that Mary protected not only Dylan but Dallas as well. I reread that scene several times. Seeing siblings reconnect is a big star for me. Add in military men and a program for vets to transition from service to civilian life and you are hitting some specials here for me.
Then there is the girls...the "geek squad" who can take out an entire military compound with only one field agent...yes please sign me up and talk techie eve though I don't understand all of it. Mary was a brilliant mind and even bigger heart. I'm hoping we see more people involved in what happened to her put away. I also see many future books in this and cant wait to read.
If you haven't yet jump on the Arsenal Bandwagon.
I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had a long weekend and was interrupted reading this a few times and at first I thought because of it Id have an issue getting back into the story. However Dylan and his panty melting smiles and brothers are hard to forget. I loved him as an MC and an alpha...whoop yum. Who doesn't like a man who will do what's best for a whip smart slightly damaged h.
This tugged at several heart strings for me. I loved both MC and their backstories. I especially loved that Mary protected not only Dylan but Dallas as well. I reread that scene several times. Seeing siblings reconnect is a big star for me. Add in military men and a program for vets to transition from service to civilian life and you are hitting some specials here for me.
Then there is the girls...the "geek squad" who can take out an entire military compound with only one field agent...yes please sign me up and talk techie eve though I don't understand all of it. Mary was a brilliant mind and even bigger heart. I'm hoping we see more people involved in what happened to her put away. I also see many future books in this and cant wait to read.
If you haven't yet jump on the Arsenal Bandwagon.
I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 18, 2017
Wow...this book was...intense, hot, suspenseful and about everything else you could look for in a great book.
First off, you're grabbed from the first chapter of the book. Mary, "The Edge," is kidnapped and tortured in ways that no one should ever be tortured. They want information that she refuses to give up. She knows someone will save her, but the question is how long can she hold out for.
You think when she's finally rescued that the story is over but in fact it's just beginning. Coming to terms with what happened when she was held captive versus what she thinks happened when she was held captive is a tough journey. Being held captive, tortured and then having to recover from her injuries goes against everything that The Edge is. She's not weak, she doesn't get caught, she doesn't need help, she doesn't need protecting.
But the story is so much more than just about Mary, The Edge and even Dylan. It goes beyond these three characters, to an array of many other characters. I can't wait for some of these to characters to get their own stories, because there is so much left to tell. I'm dying for the story of the one brother (I'm drawing a blank on his name) who was severely injured in the most horrific way. The way he related to Mary and the other warriors, my heart just broke for him.
Can't wait to see who's story is next in this amazing series.
First off, you're grabbed from the first chapter of the book. Mary, "The Edge," is kidnapped and tortured in ways that no one should ever be tortured. They want information that she refuses to give up. She knows someone will save her, but the question is how long can she hold out for.
You think when she's finally rescued that the story is over but in fact it's just beginning. Coming to terms with what happened when she was held captive versus what she thinks happened when she was held captive is a tough journey. Being held captive, tortured and then having to recover from her injuries goes against everything that The Edge is. She's not weak, she doesn't get caught, she doesn't need help, she doesn't need protecting.
But the story is so much more than just about Mary, The Edge and even Dylan. It goes beyond these three characters, to an array of many other characters. I can't wait for some of these to characters to get their own stories, because there is so much left to tell. I'm dying for the story of the one brother (I'm drawing a blank on his name) who was severely injured in the most horrific way. The way he related to Mary and the other warriors, my heart just broke for him.
Can't wait to see who's story is next in this amazing series.
October 20, 2022
Thrilling and Exciting
Mary, and her friend, Vi, are Quillery/Edge, the very best backroom 'boy's for infil/exfil ops. Admired and respected by special ops, Mary is now the target. Beaten, and worse, when rescued by the Masons, she is surprised to find out that the middle Mason, Dylan, is attracted to her.
This is a slow-burn romance, realistic given Mary's ordeal. There is a lot of action: kidnapping, fighting, arguments; the establishment of a scenario with promise for future stories. I read many books, and a key factor in enjoyment of a story and engagement in a series is how much the reader cares about the protagonists. Well, I cared a lot about Mary and Dylan, but also about Riley, and Jesse, and others in this book. Excellent.
Mary, and her friend, Vi, are Quillery/Edge, the very best backroom 'boy's for infil/exfil ops. Admired and respected by special ops, Mary is now the target. Beaten, and worse, when rescued by the Masons, she is surprised to find out that the middle Mason, Dylan, is attracted to her.
This is a slow-burn romance, realistic given Mary's ordeal. There is a lot of action: kidnapping, fighting, arguments; the establishment of a scenario with promise for future stories. I read many books, and a key factor in enjoyment of a story and engagement in a series is how much the reader cares about the protagonists. Well, I cared a lot about Mary and Dylan, but also about Riley, and Jesse, and others in this book. Excellent.
September 25, 2017
4.5
The spy thrilling action starts from the very first page on this one! She is captured, tortured, and raped at the beginning, so if that's a trigger for you...the author wasn't overly graphic with it and you can skip that part anyway. This was a very good romantic suspense.
This review is based on the ARC provided by the author and/or the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
The spy thrilling action starts from the very first page on this one! She is captured, tortured, and raped at the beginning, so if that's a trigger for you...the author wasn't overly graphic with it and you can skip that part anyway. This was a very good romantic suspense.
This review is based on the ARC provided by the author and/or the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
January 19, 2023
GET THIS BOOK!!!!
This is my first Book by CARA CARNES!!! I will be buying a lot of Books from this Author. I was very impressed and read this in one setting. If you love smart, brave, strong characters. Special Ops that are women, get this Book!!! This is about the Arsenal. If I get started I'll give out nothing but spoilers. This Book is absolutely outstanding. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!!
This is my first Book by CARA CARNES!!! I will be buying a lot of Books from this Author. I was very impressed and read this in one setting. If you love smart, brave, strong characters. Special Ops that are women, get this Book!!! This is about the Arsenal. If I get started I'll give out nothing but spoilers. This Book is absolutely outstanding. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!!
January 30, 2018
Enjoyed this one.... looking forward to more of the series
Want to read
February 26, 2023Purchase Amazon July 23, 2019
January 22, 2022
Really enjoyable read
January 23, 2018
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book started out very dark and strong, you meet The Edge/Mary Reynolds as her captors are brutalizing her physically, mentally and sexually. When she is rescued her only thought it to make sure she didn’t give anything away that would endanger her counterpart in her organization. The Edge is used to be feared not having fears. As she makes her way through her recovery we learn more about the insecure Mary part of her makeup.
That part of her persona has her rescuer Dylan in a bit of a quandary. He has only heard about and seen the tougher than nails part of her and this more human part of he has him a bit uncertain. This vulnerability brings out his major protective side. He wants the tough as nails operative back that has saved countless agents in the field however his battered heart is interested in the woman behind the mask. Maybe together they can rescue each other.
The book had the earmarks for a very strong and compelling first novel and in many ways it is. The characters have depth and the storyline is good. However there are so many names and past events that are being referenced that at times you almost needed a spreadsheet to keep everyone and everything sorted out. It was a case of a little too much all at once and made the book lose some of its steam. For the most part you wanted to find out a little bit more about the characters but it just came across as info overload and you couldn’t really get into the meat of each character as another would present themselves quickly after.
Considering the horrific beginning of the book Mary bounced back remarkably well. While everyone deals with PTSD in their own way, thinking about how sexy that person is doesn’t really fit with most rape victims mental state so soon after such trauma. True she had a very close support system and she is able due to her training to compartmentalize her traumatic experience, but underneath all of the bravado she is still a human.
A good if somewhat brutally horrific start to a new series, the other characters within this book all have enough draw that you want to find out more about them. Major trigger alert right at the beginning of the story.
This book started out very dark and strong, you meet The Edge/Mary Reynolds as her captors are brutalizing her physically, mentally and sexually. When she is rescued her only thought it to make sure she didn’t give anything away that would endanger her counterpart in her organization. The Edge is used to be feared not having fears. As she makes her way through her recovery we learn more about the insecure Mary part of her makeup.
That part of her persona has her rescuer Dylan in a bit of a quandary. He has only heard about and seen the tougher than nails part of her and this more human part of he has him a bit uncertain. This vulnerability brings out his major protective side. He wants the tough as nails operative back that has saved countless agents in the field however his battered heart is interested in the woman behind the mask. Maybe together they can rescue each other.
The book had the earmarks for a very strong and compelling first novel and in many ways it is. The characters have depth and the storyline is good. However there are so many names and past events that are being referenced that at times you almost needed a spreadsheet to keep everyone and everything sorted out. It was a case of a little too much all at once and made the book lose some of its steam. For the most part you wanted to find out a little bit more about the characters but it just came across as info overload and you couldn’t really get into the meat of each character as another would present themselves quickly after.
Considering the horrific beginning of the book Mary bounced back remarkably well. While everyone deals with PTSD in their own way, thinking about how sexy that person is doesn’t really fit with most rape victims mental state so soon after such trauma. True she had a very close support system and she is able due to her training to compartmentalize her traumatic experience, but underneath all of the bravado she is still a human.
A good if somewhat brutally horrific start to a new series, the other characters within this book all have enough draw that you want to find out more about them. Major trigger alert right at the beginning of the story.
October 17, 2017
Title: Jagged Edge
Series: The Arsenal Book #1
Release Date: #AlreadyReleased
Author: Cara Carnes
Reviewer: Ingrid Stephanie Jordan
Serial: Standalone, No Cliffhanger
Genre:#Military #Suspence #Romance
My Rating: #5Stars☆☆☆☆☆
••••••••••••••
OMG I haven't read anything but Paranormal and Sci-fi for five years because nothing else interests me but this book caught me on the first page it was so intense it took me for the ride of my life. I loved it.
Mary Reynolds aka: Edge - everyone wanted Quillery Edge duo. Mary is a the genius who has gotten many men out of sticky situations, some thought this was it, they were going to die but she wouldn't let them she goaded them to go on. She didn't care what she had to do as long as she brought them home. Then she was kidnapped they wanted something from her but she wouldn't give it to them, they wanted to break her. But she was Edge
they couldn't break her or could they? The kidnappers all in masks tried to break her, they tried for days, she is the EDGE! Breaking is not in her vocabulary.
Dylan Mason and his brothers, Marshall, Jesse, Cord, Nolan, and Dallas were paramilitary they formed The Arsenal. When they heard Edge was kidnapped they knew they would do whatever they had to get her out of the terrorist hands. Every time Dylan thought of what she said when he first rescued her makes him mad, he keeps thinking of it her words were “I’m expendable". Dylan knew he was getting too close but he couldn't help himself he had to be next to Mary.
A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion.
Series: The Arsenal Book #1
Release Date: #AlreadyReleased
Author: Cara Carnes
Reviewer: Ingrid Stephanie Jordan
Serial: Standalone, No Cliffhanger
Genre:#Military #Suspence #Romance
My Rating: #5Stars☆☆☆☆☆
••••••••••••••
OMG I haven't read anything but Paranormal and Sci-fi for five years because nothing else interests me but this book caught me on the first page it was so intense it took me for the ride of my life. I loved it.
Mary Reynolds aka: Edge - everyone wanted Quillery Edge duo. Mary is a the genius who has gotten many men out of sticky situations, some thought this was it, they were going to die but she wouldn't let them she goaded them to go on. She didn't care what she had to do as long as she brought them home. Then she was kidnapped they wanted something from her but she wouldn't give it to them, they wanted to break her. But she was Edge
they couldn't break her or could they? The kidnappers all in masks tried to break her, they tried for days, she is the EDGE! Breaking is not in her vocabulary.
Dylan Mason and his brothers, Marshall, Jesse, Cord, Nolan, and Dallas were paramilitary they formed The Arsenal. When they heard Edge was kidnapped they knew they would do whatever they had to get her out of the terrorist hands. Every time Dylan thought of what she said when he first rescued her makes him mad, he keeps thinking of it her words were “I’m expendable". Dylan knew he was getting too close but he couldn't help himself he had to be next to Mary.
A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and my comments here are my honest opinion.
January 19, 2022
This started off like it might be a good book, but fell completely apart when, after she's been tortured and raped, her "rescuer" is flirting with her. Sorry, this isn't a sign of a strong woman, its a sign of a very weak one. I don't know if the other books are like this or not, but I'll probably never find out.
I want my heroines SMART, my men sexy and with enough common sense to know they aren't god's gift to women when the woman is hurt. And when she IS hurt, I want him to be the hero she needs, not one who smirks at her. Who in god's name thinks smirking is a good idea. Oh I forgot, whatshername with the 50 Shades books. Sorry, you lose at least one star and probably more from me if your so called hero smirks. I also want my stories to be written to an adult, college educated audience. I think this one missed the boat.
I want my heroines SMART, my men sexy and with enough common sense to know they aren't god's gift to women when the woman is hurt. And when she IS hurt, I want him to be the hero she needs, not one who smirks at her. Who in god's name thinks smirking is a good idea. Oh I forgot, whatshername with the 50 Shades books. Sorry, you lose at least one star and probably more from me if your so called hero smirks. I also want my stories to be written to an adult, college educated audience. I think this one missed the boat.
April 5, 2020
If you want to read about rape. This is a book for you.
I don't understand why an author thinks a woman being repeadily raped makes a great book. Then the woman seems to be uaffected by it and jumps right into a relationship. Has this author ever done any research about rape victims and the life long impact it has on a woman. I personally don't want read this type of book. I enjoy action, mystery, and danger in books. I also do like sex in books but, I don't want to read about rape. I read books to relax. Ms. Carnes, if you are going to put this kind of violence in your books, PLEASE warn your readers. There was no indication in the books discription that you included violet rape in your book.
I don't understand why an author thinks a woman being repeadily raped makes a great book. Then the woman seems to be uaffected by it and jumps right into a relationship. Has this author ever done any research about rape victims and the life long impact it has on a woman. I personally don't want read this type of book. I enjoy action, mystery, and danger in books. I also do like sex in books but, I don't want to read about rape. I read books to relax. Ms. Carnes, if you are going to put this kind of violence in your books, PLEASE warn your readers. There was no indication in the books discription that you included violet rape in your book.
November 25, 2018
If you like Susan Stoker....
If you like Susan Stoker novels, you will want to start this series! I'm so glad I gave this new author (to me) a try. This book was awesome, I didn't want it to end! The only good thing about it ending was that I can move on the the next book and catch up with the characters I have quickly grown attached to. The characters of this book were well developed and the plot well thought out with the right mix of mystery and suspense, bad - assry from both guys and girls, friendship and family. The chemistry between the characters was spot on. Cara Carnes is quickly becoming one of my favorites! Have to go now, Book 2 is waiting!!
If you like Susan Stoker novels, you will want to start this series! I'm so glad I gave this new author (to me) a try. This book was awesome, I didn't want it to end! The only good thing about it ending was that I can move on the the next book and catch up with the characters I have quickly grown attached to. The characters of this book were well developed and the plot well thought out with the right mix of mystery and suspense, bad - assry from both guys and girls, friendship and family. The chemistry between the characters was spot on. Cara Carnes is quickly becoming one of my favorites! Have to go now, Book 2 is waiting!!
September 16, 2019
Inconsistent caracters
The story started of great, but it got murky really fast. The main characters had a couple of major problems, I think that some of their behavior was really unrealistic and it made it difficult to get immersed in the story. I also didn't like the fact that after a major trauma for the female character she got over it super fast (I don't think rape is that easy to overcome and just jump into a sexual relationship). All in all I almost didn't finish the book several times, but I stuck with it simply because I don't like not finishing.
The story started of great, but it got murky really fast. The main characters had a couple of major problems, I think that some of their behavior was really unrealistic and it made it difficult to get immersed in the story. I also didn't like the fact that after a major trauma for the female character she got over it super fast (I don't think rape is that easy to overcome and just jump into a sexual relationship). All in all I almost didn't finish the book several times, but I stuck with it simply because I don't like not finishing.
July 12, 2020
Reviewing the Arsenal, as a series (Books 1 to 6): 3 to 4 stars out of 5
I've had Book 1 in my library for a while, but the violence of the first chapters made me stop the book and start another one. I picked it up again a week ago and have binged-read all six books since. If you like the alpha-male that (finally) finds his match (and heart), well this has it aplenty.
The best: the men! they are all sexy, intelligent, growly, sexy, men-machines that know how to take care of a problem. They also are loyal and have a great family and all that. So it's all good there... in theory... (more on that later)
The good: the women are all highly intelligent and a whole part of the team. The love stories are believable and I would say are a good part of the story but not to the detriment of the action going on. Book 6 has a Bonus of two deleted chapters and it does show that Ms.Carnes can make the hard choices.
***the following does contain spoilers***
The issues: By the 6th book, I admit I did a little skimming and a few eye-rolls started (started only). I would say really think that the binge-reading made so I really had a concentrated look into the series. And in book 6 there are a few issues with background stories being repeated, and the story isn't as tight as other books. For example, at one point the h appears to mention having no artistic outlet like Quillery, but 1/4 book later, she takes her cello out for a therapeutic outdoor session...?
1) the Arsenal:
Ranch, PTSD-therapy outfit (Warrior Path) or Black Ops group? I actually searched the bibliography to search if another series was concentrated on Warrior Path. Eye-roll: super-secure Big-Brother black ops group, but crawling with new people all the time? I don't understand the whole ranch or Warrior Path angle inclusion since they are never part of the stories, except for a source of soldiers when necessary. The Arsenal have to be super secure and check everybody's background (deep search with super-computer), but then have all these groups of former Army men and women coming and going? And only one doctor and one psychologist, and no other medical personnel ? Would have been simple to make the three structurally and geographically separate (but still accessible). Apparently they are on thousands of acres of land. The Arsenal could have been at one end... no? And I am not including here the added "Dots" program and ops that can also be read in Counterstrike books...
2) Man-speak, or women's wishes, makes a relationship go blah:
Hum... these are military alpha-males that have never been in a long-term loving relationship. But they are unfailingly supportive, emotive and expressive... So much so that, to me, they speak like women. I mean they don't make a misstep, they always say and do exactly what they should, and they are the emotional rock "their woman needs". So much so that it's just too much so. It makes the relationships soooo peeeeerfect they're quasi-boring!
3) Time and violence:
Argh! I've seen this in many series. So I think it's a style "of the times" problem rather than an author preference: I think less than a year passed between the end of book 1 and the start of book 6. And it's full of end-of-life, peddle to the meddle, violence. Which would take a terrible toll on people. It's like war all the time. ie: Don't "let" your woman out of your sight because someone wants to kill'ems-type of violence. And they do. Anytime a woman goes on an errand, she is attacked, because they have issues all over the world and issues at home with corruption in surrounding towns. I was raised in a house that didn't have a lock on the door, so reading about all of them always having to watch their back, even when at home, is really foreign to me. The violence would have served just as well, story-wise, if it happened a few years appart...no? ...As a coping mechanism, I figured the author forgot to mention this was a dystopian or alternate-history book... or it was happening on another planet.
All this, I will continue to read the series because I really want to know who will hookup with whom... and Ms.Carnes is really good at hooking you for the next one... I also think these books would make a good basis for a tv series. Where there is "too much stuff" going on in a book, that is never a problem in a tv series. They could also place this in alt-history or in a dystopian future. It would work well without too many tweaks needed...
I've had Book 1 in my library for a while, but the violence of the first chapters made me stop the book and start another one. I picked it up again a week ago and have binged-read all six books since. If you like the alpha-male that (finally) finds his match (and heart), well this has it aplenty.
The best: the men! they are all sexy, intelligent, growly, sexy, men-machines that know how to take care of a problem. They also are loyal and have a great family and all that. So it's all good there... in theory... (more on that later)
The good: the women are all highly intelligent and a whole part of the team. The love stories are believable and I would say are a good part of the story but not to the detriment of the action going on. Book 6 has a Bonus of two deleted chapters and it does show that Ms.Carnes can make the hard choices.
***the following does contain spoilers***
The issues: By the 6th book, I admit I did a little skimming and a few eye-rolls started (started only). I would say really think that the binge-reading made so I really had a concentrated look into the series. And in book 6 there are a few issues with background stories being repeated, and the story isn't as tight as other books. For example, at one point the h appears to mention having no artistic outlet like Quillery, but 1/4 book later, she takes her cello out for a therapeutic outdoor session...?
1) the Arsenal:
Ranch, PTSD-therapy outfit (Warrior Path) or Black Ops group? I actually searched the bibliography to search if another series was concentrated on Warrior Path. Eye-roll: super-secure Big-Brother black ops group, but crawling with new people all the time? I don't understand the whole ranch or Warrior Path angle inclusion since they are never part of the stories, except for a source of soldiers when necessary. The Arsenal have to be super secure and check everybody's background (deep search with super-computer), but then have all these groups of former Army men and women coming and going? And only one doctor and one psychologist, and no other medical personnel ? Would have been simple to make the three structurally and geographically separate (but still accessible). Apparently they are on thousands of acres of land. The Arsenal could have been at one end... no? And I am not including here the added "Dots" program and ops that can also be read in Counterstrike books...
2) Man-speak, or women's wishes, makes a relationship go blah:
Hum... these are military alpha-males that have never been in a long-term loving relationship. But they are unfailingly supportive, emotive and expressive... So much so that, to me, they speak like women. I mean they don't make a misstep, they always say and do exactly what they should, and they are the emotional rock "their woman needs". So much so that it's just too much so. It makes the relationships soooo peeeeerfect they're quasi-boring!
3) Time and violence:
Argh! I've seen this in many series. So I think it's a style "of the times" problem rather than an author preference: I think less than a year passed between the end of book 1 and the start of book 6. And it's full of end-of-life, peddle to the meddle, violence. Which would take a terrible toll on people. It's like war all the time. ie: Don't "let" your woman out of your sight because someone wants to kill'ems-type of violence. And they do. Anytime a woman goes on an errand, she is attacked, because they have issues all over the world and issues at home with corruption in surrounding towns. I was raised in a house that didn't have a lock on the door, so reading about all of them always having to watch their back, even when at home, is really foreign to me. The violence would have served just as well, story-wise, if it happened a few years appart...no? ...As a coping mechanism, I figured the author forgot to mention this was a dystopian or alternate-history book... or it was happening on another planet.
All this, I will continue to read the series because I really want to know who will hookup with whom... and Ms.Carnes is really good at hooking you for the next one... I also think these books would make a good basis for a tv series. Where there is "too much stuff" going on in a book, that is never a problem in a tv series. They could also place this in alt-history or in a dystopian future. It would work well without too many tweaks needed...
July 5, 2020
Jagged Edge Cara Carnes
Reviewed by SFF Dragon*
A Fantastic Book Ruined... My advice is give the audio a miss and read the book!
I've read the book, more than once, or even twice, actually, closer to five or six times since it first came out, and every time I've read it, I've loved the dark, gritty, edgy and action packed paramilitary thriller with a slow-burn romance and a little steam even more than I did the time before. It's a brilliant book worth way more than 5 stars and I imagine the author's emotions were put through the wringer whilst she was researching and writing it. For those who are interested, I've put my 2017 review of the actual book at the end so you can see what it's really about.
Sadly, the audio version is a total disaster!!!!! It's so badly narrated, I was going to give up listening before I was half-way through... the first chapter, but I persevered, thinking that it couldn't all be this bad but... yep, it was. By chapter eleven, I'd put it to one side and just left it for months, that was in January. I went back to it at the end of May, deciding I should listen to the whole thing, since I'd gone to the trouble of getting it, but it didn't improve it... not one, little, bit.
The narrator is absolutely dreadful. By far the worst I have ever forced myself to listen to! And I do mean forced. She took a dark, all action thriller, with good hearted but tough as nails characters, both male and female, along with a handful of seriously evil bad guys and turned it into some sort of a breathy, girly-girl, pre-teen soap opera complete with school bullies. She totally failed to understand the subject matter or the characters. She kept leaving gaps in all the wrong places, completely changing the connotation, missed the tone and intent every time, and even read the mistakes! Not that there were many, but still.... The southern drawl and bad pronunciation were equally irritating and not really how I, as an English woman, imagine people from either Chicago or Texas speak (based on nearly 60 years of watching American TV programmes and films). Having listened to a significant number of audio books of a similar type, I think it would have benefited greatly from being read by an accent neutral man, with a decent understanding of punctuation, or at the very least some idea of what commas are for and who'd actually read the book first, or a woman who fully understands the harsh world those in paramilitary organisations live in. This is not a story to be interpreted, in any way, shape or form, as chic lit, it's a hard-hitting book about tough, modern women and men who fight for what they believe is right.
My advice is to give this audio version a miss and read the book. That's infinitely better! I've given this audio version one star, only because I had to give it a rating and will never be listening to it again. What a waste. Sorry Cara.... but you really need to do a serious re-think of who you get to narrate the rest of your books.
My review of the actual book follows for those who are interested.
Reviewed by SFF Dragon*
(10th September 2017)
Jagged Edge is a totally gripping, edge of the seat, action packed paramilitary thriller with a slow burn romance and a lot of sizzle.
I've read quite a few of her books and no matter what genre she's writing in, Cara Carnes, one of my favourite authors, always comes up with a terrific, hard hitting, gritty story with terrific female leads, romance and a happily ever after, and 'Jagged Edge', the first book in her brand new series, The Arsenal, is no different. It's a totally gripping, edge of the seat, paramilitary thriller with a slow burn romance, a lot of sizzle, a couple of steamy bits and a happily ever after, but in some places, especially the beginning, it's makes quite harrowing reading, especially if you're a woman. I imagine the research was emotionally very difficult to do as the resulting story gives what I think is a fairly realistic look at post traumatic stress disorder. I was completely engrossed in this book from beginning to end, willing the good guys on and hoping against hope everything would work out.
The main female character is Mary Reynolds, a Hive operative more usually known as The Edge. She and her partner Vi, aka Quillery, are the genius minds behind a spectacular security system as well as the go-to team when covert operations go south and the guys in the field need a way out. 'The Quillery Edge' always get them home. I'm not going to give spoilers, but the book opens at the tail end of the heroine's days of captivity and torture after she was kidnapped off the street. Although it doesn't go into overly specific details at the beginning, what is there is fairly graphic and brutal.
The rescue team from another paramilitary outfit, The Arsenal, run by the six Mason brothers, blast their way in. The first to find The Edge, Dylan Mason barely recognises the woman they've come to retrieve and is struck by an overwhelming need to protect her. They all know who she is by reputation, and many have been saved from almost certain death by The Edge. She's in really bad shape, both physically and mentally. Her captors really did a number on her and her road to recovery will be a long one, but the whole situation smells really fishy, people are still trying to get her and she insists on being part of the investigation, along with her four friends, to work out what's really going on, who the bad guys are, and what they really want, but a lot of people and situations aren't always what they seem. I'd say there's a nail biting conclusion to this story, but the whole thing was nail biting, and worth so much more than the 5 stars I'm limited to. I absolutely loved it and I really can't wait to read the next one in what promises to be a seriously good series.
Reviewed by SFF Dragon*
A Fantastic Book Ruined... My advice is give the audio a miss and read the book!
I've read the book, more than once, or even twice, actually, closer to five or six times since it first came out, and every time I've read it, I've loved the dark, gritty, edgy and action packed paramilitary thriller with a slow-burn romance and a little steam even more than I did the time before. It's a brilliant book worth way more than 5 stars and I imagine the author's emotions were put through the wringer whilst she was researching and writing it. For those who are interested, I've put my 2017 review of the actual book at the end so you can see what it's really about.
Sadly, the audio version is a total disaster!!!!! It's so badly narrated, I was going to give up listening before I was half-way through... the first chapter, but I persevered, thinking that it couldn't all be this bad but... yep, it was. By chapter eleven, I'd put it to one side and just left it for months, that was in January. I went back to it at the end of May, deciding I should listen to the whole thing, since I'd gone to the trouble of getting it, but it didn't improve it... not one, little, bit.
The narrator is absolutely dreadful. By far the worst I have ever forced myself to listen to! And I do mean forced. She took a dark, all action thriller, with good hearted but tough as nails characters, both male and female, along with a handful of seriously evil bad guys and turned it into some sort of a breathy, girly-girl, pre-teen soap opera complete with school bullies. She totally failed to understand the subject matter or the characters. She kept leaving gaps in all the wrong places, completely changing the connotation, missed the tone and intent every time, and even read the mistakes! Not that there were many, but still.... The southern drawl and bad pronunciation were equally irritating and not really how I, as an English woman, imagine people from either Chicago or Texas speak (based on nearly 60 years of watching American TV programmes and films). Having listened to a significant number of audio books of a similar type, I think it would have benefited greatly from being read by an accent neutral man, with a decent understanding of punctuation, or at the very least some idea of what commas are for and who'd actually read the book first, or a woman who fully understands the harsh world those in paramilitary organisations live in. This is not a story to be interpreted, in any way, shape or form, as chic lit, it's a hard-hitting book about tough, modern women and men who fight for what they believe is right.
My advice is to give this audio version a miss and read the book. That's infinitely better! I've given this audio version one star, only because I had to give it a rating and will never be listening to it again. What a waste. Sorry Cara.... but you really need to do a serious re-think of who you get to narrate the rest of your books.
My review of the actual book follows for those who are interested.
Reviewed by SFF Dragon*
(10th September 2017)
Jagged Edge is a totally gripping, edge of the seat, action packed paramilitary thriller with a slow burn romance and a lot of sizzle.
I've read quite a few of her books and no matter what genre she's writing in, Cara Carnes, one of my favourite authors, always comes up with a terrific, hard hitting, gritty story with terrific female leads, romance and a happily ever after, and 'Jagged Edge', the first book in her brand new series, The Arsenal, is no different. It's a totally gripping, edge of the seat, paramilitary thriller with a slow burn romance, a lot of sizzle, a couple of steamy bits and a happily ever after, but in some places, especially the beginning, it's makes quite harrowing reading, especially if you're a woman. I imagine the research was emotionally very difficult to do as the resulting story gives what I think is a fairly realistic look at post traumatic stress disorder. I was completely engrossed in this book from beginning to end, willing the good guys on and hoping against hope everything would work out.
The main female character is Mary Reynolds, a Hive operative more usually known as The Edge. She and her partner Vi, aka Quillery, are the genius minds behind a spectacular security system as well as the go-to team when covert operations go south and the guys in the field need a way out. 'The Quillery Edge' always get them home. I'm not going to give spoilers, but the book opens at the tail end of the heroine's days of captivity and torture after she was kidnapped off the street. Although it doesn't go into overly specific details at the beginning, what is there is fairly graphic and brutal.
The rescue team from another paramilitary outfit, The Arsenal, run by the six Mason brothers, blast their way in. The first to find The Edge, Dylan Mason barely recognises the woman they've come to retrieve and is struck by an overwhelming need to protect her. They all know who she is by reputation, and many have been saved from almost certain death by The Edge. She's in really bad shape, both physically and mentally. Her captors really did a number on her and her road to recovery will be a long one, but the whole situation smells really fishy, people are still trying to get her and she insists on being part of the investigation, along with her four friends, to work out what's really going on, who the bad guys are, and what they really want, but a lot of people and situations aren't always what they seem. I'd say there's a nail biting conclusion to this story, but the whole thing was nail biting, and worth so much more than the 5 stars I'm limited to. I absolutely loved it and I really can't wait to read the next one in what promises to be a seriously good series.
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