Red Heat

Men In Uniform #1

by Nina Bruhns

The Cold War was never this cold…

CIA analyst Julie Severin hates anything to do with Russia—the country that killed her cold war spy father. She also has a phobia about large bodies of water. Needless to say, she is horrified when she is ordered at the last minute to join an international team of scientists going deep under the frigid waters of the Arctic on an ancient Russian rust bucket of a submarine. Her mission: to recover a tiny data card hidden somewhere on the sub by a murdered CIA mole…and while she’s at it, acquire the sub’s arrogant but annoyingly attractive commander as the asset’s replacement.

When Julie’s life is suddenly threatened by an enemy agent hunting the same hidden microcard, she must turn to her nemesis for help. But the killer handsome Russian captain is hiding his own shocking secrets…

Or this hot…

Daring rogue submarine driver Captain Nikolai Kirill Romanoff is having the worst year of his life. Unfairly disgraced and demoted to driving the oldest, most dilapidated excuse for a diesel submarine in the entire Russian Navy, Nikolai’s youthful KGB past has come back to haunt him in a way he never anticipated: a compulsory undercover mission that will require all his considerable skill as an operative , a submariner…and as a man. Nikolai, his crew, and nine innocent scientists are now hovering at the bottom of the Bering Strait in a 2000 sq foot tin coffin, under attack from an unknown enemy, and he must extract information vital to their survival from a beautiful American spy—by any means necessary.

As Nikolai and Julie frantically join forces to save the floundering vessel from a treacherous blitz attack that threatens to send them all to a watery grave, the two former adversaries find themselves fighting a losing battle against a sizzling attraction that far surpasses international borders, ancient hurts, and a ruthless common enemy.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Military Fiction, Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Erotica

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 7, 2011

About the author

New York Times and USA Today best selling author Nina Bruhns is an avid world traveler and adventurer with two graduate degrees in archaeology -- all great fodder for her stories, giving them broad dimension, vivid settings and characters that are out of the ordinary. In addition to hitting both the NY Times and USA Today bestseller lists, her novels have earned two RITA nominations, and won numerous other awards, including three prestigious Daphne du Maurier Awards of Excellence for Overall Best Mystery Suspense Novel of the Year, five Dorothy Parker Awards, several RT BookClub Awards and a National Readers Choice Award.

A native of Canada, Nina grew up in California and currently resides in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina.

Reviews

[Shawna]

HOLY S%*@! WHAT A SMOKIN' HOT COVER STUD! Nina Bruhns wins big again in the cover hunk lottery! :)

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing I thought when I finished this book is that I am moving to Russia!!! Now I know I have said this before but I have this thing will men in Uniform and this guy is a Navy Guy! squeeee!!! This is my first book by the talented Nina Bruhns and I was far from disappointed. Not only is it Hot and Sexy ,but will bring you to your knees and want your own Navy Hottie!


Nikolai happens to be a Russian submarine captain whose last decision earned him a demotion. Instead of getting more important missions like he wanted he is stuck o escorting a crew of national scientists to the Arctic. Things start to get interesting when Nikolai finds himself blackmailed by a secret in his family’s past to watch a supposed CIA agent on this mission which is this supposed female reporter named, Julie Severin. Mission: Discover what she is after by any means necessary. Not liking the idea of this any means necessary idea, well that was until he finally sees Julie for the first time.


Julie can’t believe she has been put on this mission considering what happened to her father. This undercover agent is now on an expedition to the Arctic. Now she really hasn’t been trained as a spy; but she is is ready to get this secret information for the United Sates and get back on safe land. Meets the sexy Russian in the bar for the first time and why yes tells him to "fuck off". Nikolai follows her after she leaves and the sparks begin to fly but little does she know she will be stuck with this man on the trip to the Arctic. Now she has to figure out who she can really trust on this mission she isn't all that keen about.

When I first met the characters I fell in love. Two different people but yet the same.The tension and passion between them will set you a blaze and keep you reading for more. Julie is smart, beautiful and passionate. Nikolai is sexy, clever and an actual hero.They way they end up becoming close to figure out what is really going on is what got me all caught up in the story. I couldn't put it down and when it came till the end all the secrets will shock you and just make you die for more. Bruhns makes you feel you are there living what they are actually living. I loved this book to the very last page.


Nina Bruhns brings you not only passion and suspense but love and secrets that you will die to uncover. I was in love with the book from the very beginning and I truly couldn't put it down and to think I didn't want to read it. Gods, I am so glad I changed my mind on that one. I would have never forgiven myself for missing such a hot read.Welcome Nina Bruhns to my auto buy list and I will making my way through her back list when I can get some time. A must read for anyone who loves the high seas and a man in uniform. The second book in the series is White Hot which is do out in the Winter of 2012 but in the mean time Happy Reading!

Merged review:

"The first thing I thought when I finished this book is that I am moving to Russia!!! Now I know I have said this before but I have this thing will men in Uniform and this guy is a Navy Guy! squeeee!!! This is my first book by the talented Nina Bruhns and I was far from disappointed. Not only is it Hot and Sexy ,but will bring you to your knees and want your own Navy Hottie!


Nikolai happens to be a Russian submarine captain whose last decision earned him a demotion. Instead of getting more important missions like he wanted he is stuck o escorting a crew of national scientists to the Arctic. Things start to get interesting when Nikolai finds himself blackmailed by a secret in his family’s past to watch a supposed CIA agent on this mission which is this supposed female reporter named, Julie Severin. Mission: Discover what she is after by any means necessary. Not liking the idea of this any means necessary idea, well that was until he finally sees Julie for the first time.


Julie can’t believe she has been put on this mission considering what happened to her father. This undercover agent is now on an expedition to the Arctic. Now she really hasn’t been trained as a spy; but she is is ready to get this secret information for the United Sates and get back on safe land. Meets the sexy Russian in the bar for the first time and why yes tells him to "fuck off". Nikolai follows her after she leaves and the sparks begin to fly but little does she know she will be stuck with this man on the trip to the Arctic. Now she has to figure out who she can really trust on this mission she isn't all that keen about.

When I first met the characters I fell in love. Two different people but yet the same.The tension and passion between them will set you a blaze and keep you reading for more. Julie is smart, beautiful and passionate. Nikolai is sexy, clever and an actual hero.They way they end up becoming close to figure out what is really going on is what got me all caught up in the story. I couldn't put it down and when it came till the end all the secrets will shock you and just make you die for more. Bruhns makes you feel you are there living what they are actually living. I loved this book to the very last page.


Nina Bruhns brings you not only passion and suspense but love and secrets that you will die to uncover. I was in love with the book from the very beginning and I truly couldn't put it down and to think I didn't want to read it. Gods, I am so glad I changed my mind on that one. I would have never forgiven myself for missing such a hot read.Welcome Nina Bruhns to my auto buy list and I will making my way through her back list when I can get some time. A must read for anyone who loves the high seas and a man in uniform. The second book in the series is White Hot which is do out in the Winter of 2012 but in the mean time Happy Reading!"

[Saly · Rating 4 out of 5]

How often do you get to read a book based on a submarine going on scientific expedition, with a hot Russian naval commander ex-FSB as a hero and an American CIA analysist in search for a SD card, wanted by the Chinese. None, and the book was amazingly awesome and different.

Nikolai is a navy commander, after a mission gone wrong he has been demoted and to make sure his career doesn't go downwards he's called by his ex-FSB handler, to handle a reporter who he believes to be CIA on his new submarine command. Nikolia hates the FSB, after all they blackmailed him the first time with his mother to work for them and he refuses to be their gigolo and then he sees Julie and plants one hot kiss on her in the elevator.

Julie is a former journalist turned CIA analyst, an expert on China, she is shocked when her boss sends her into the field. First, she hates the sea(she almost drowned) and Russians(her CIA father was killed in Moscow), and second she can't lie worth shit and prefers being behind a desk. The day she boards, she first loses her luggage and then finds out that they guy who kissed her is the commander Nikolia, she has to share a stateroom with him and he doubts her, and outright tells her he knows who she is.

He follows her around, the entire crew seems to think they have a thing going on, Julie tries to take pictures to find out the SD card with Nikolai not far behind her. He thinks he'll turn her into an asset for his career but of course that doesn't happen. What happens is that they end up in bed together, they both find out that they share the loss of losing a parent. Nikolai even helps her face the sea.

I enjoyed the book, the setting was unusual, then there was sabotage and the big stumbling block in their relationship he's Russian, she's American and they both love their countries.

Let's just say there was never a dull moment in the book. Julie is honest to admit what she is upto while she isn't that sure about Nikolai but she still falls for him and is willing to make compromises, he on the other hand is not sure.

I can't wait for Clint's book.

[Nina Bruhns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Men In Uniform, book 1

The Cold War was never this cold…

CIA analyst Julie Severin hates anything to do with Russia—the country that killed her cold war spy father. She also has a phobia about large bodies of water. Needless to say, she is horrified when she is ordered at the last minute to join an international team of scientists going deep under the frigid waters of the Arctic on an ancient Russian rust bucket of a submarine. Her mission: to recover a tiny data card hidden somewhere on the sub by a murdered CIA mole…and while she’s at it, acquire the sub’s arrogant but annoyingly attractive commander as the asset’s replacement.

When Julie’s life is suddenly threatened by an enemy agent hunting the same hidden micro-card, she must turn to her nemesis for help. But the killer handsome Russian captain is hiding his own shocking secrets…

Or this hot…

Daring rogue submarine driver Captain Nikolai Kirill Romanoff is having the worst year of his life. Unfairly disgraced and demoted to driving the oldest, most dilapidated excuse for a diesel submarine in the entire Russian Navy, Nikolai’s youthful KGB past has come back to haunt him in a way he never anticipated: a compulsory undercover mission that will require all his considerable skill as an operative , a submariner…and as a man. Nikolai, his crew, and nine innocent scientists are now hovering at the bottom of the Bering Strait in a 2000 sq foot tin coffin, under attack from an unknown enemy, and he must extract information vital to their survival from a beautiful American spy—by any means necessary.

As Nikolai and Julie frantically join forces to save the floundering vessel from a treacherous blitz attack that threatens to send them all to a watery grave, the two former adversaries find themselves fighting a losing battle against a sizzling attraction that far surpasses international borders, ancient hurts, and a ruthless common enemy.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really expecting a lot more from this book. It had all the ingredients for a great suspense romance novel: Sexy Russian + military + submarine + espionage. However, this book just fell flat for me. I loved Captain Nikolai Romanov. Everything about him was likeable. The heroine Julie--she just plain got on my nerves. She was not TSTL but she came close. I never felt the connection between Nikolai and Julie. I mean the heroine professed her feelings for the hero and vice versa- I just never felt it. I kept reading hoping it would get better-for me it did not. The book was not bad but it was not great either. Like I said earlier I did not feel the romance therefore everything else just fell flat for me. The small cramp quarters of the submarine, the suspense--of why the heroine was sent on the submarine, the conclusion of the suspense--it all just fell flat. I grew ever tired of the whole dialogue about "we want to be together but it is just not possible" Again, with me not fully committed to the romance/plot this internal repetitive dialouge was annoying. Lastly, I could not believe it when the heroine had nerve enough to question Nikolai, a well decorated military captain, about what he was doing when it came to commanding the submarine. I mean I even said aloud "No she didn't". For example, "Nikolai, what are you doing?, Are you sure that is going to work?" Really?! How many submarines have she commanded, Oh I forgot, she is afraid of water.

So maybe my rating should be 2.5 since I did get kinda emotionally involved. *shrug*

[Yvonne]

Ready for some "Red Heat".....can you blame me really?! :)

[Vilia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review from Backchatting Books

CIA Analyst Julie Severin has been ordered to go undercover as a journalist reporting on a group of scientists heading for the Arctic Circle. Her mission is to search for a SD card that has been hidden somewhere in the bowels of the dilapidated Russian submarine that is taking them there. Her mission gets off to a rocky start as Captain Nikolai Kirill Romanoff is informed that she is a spy and is determined to find out what she is doing on his sub.

Julie is unfortunately a TSTL heroine. Julie oscillated between being this incredibly smart woman who could quote famed Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu and assist with complicated military manoeuvring and a terrified ditz who clung to her manly Nikolai. Her TSTL crimes are as follows:

- failed to integrate herself with the scientists at the start or work out where her journal articles would be published and thereby add verisimilitude to her cover
- contacted her ‘boss’ using unsecured lines
- wore high heels on a submarine where they could get stuck in the grating, make climbing the numerous ladders difficult and increase her height in a small and cramped interior
- made the fact she was searching for something really obvious and then took photos of pipes and labels of all things. FYI an SD card would be kept somewhere safe and that’s not inside a water or air pipe where it could be dislodged or on an old label
- was surprised that people were treating her differently because she was sharing quarters with Nikolai, wearing his clothes (coupled with her high heels) and clutching or kissing him at regular intervals
- was shocked that Nikolai might actually betray her because, you know, his allegiance lay elsewhere and he was an ex KGB agent
- disclosed her mission to just about everyone who challenged her even though as she herself stated, to be caught as a spy would mean death
- shared sensitive information with Nikolai and another individual about her mission where others could hear

I liked Nikolai a little more even though he is a walking, talking Russian cliche as he is a distant descendent of the Romonov family and ex KGB. He might be a bit of a rogue and ordered to seduce Julie but he has a sensitive side and he showed this when he signed a note to her ‘kisses, Nikolai’. His way of dealing with the unknown enemy was clever and reminded me of The Hunt for Red October. His success intrigued me as he spent very little time actually running the submarine and most of it following Julie around, dealing with her phobias or spending quality time with her. There is a mystery concerning his deceased mother which unfortunately wasn’t fleshed out enough – I wanted to know more about the mother’s death and the dynamics between his parents. Nikolai says ‘da’ and ‘nyet’ an awful lot even though his American English is nearly flawless (from time spent there when he was younger). It made me wonder if the author was afraid we would forget he was Russian.

You will need to suspend quite a bit of disbelief to get absorbed in the plot but it is definitely worth it for the cat and mouse games that play out towards the end. Julie’s boss at Langley would have known she had no qualifications in the area, was scared of large bodies of water and had a beef with Russians when they sent her on the mission so I’m wondering whether they actually wanted her to fail and they had planted an SD card with fake info on it. A data analyst focussing on China had no business doing field work on board a Russian ship. The relationship between Julie and Nikolai would never have been allowed to occur and if it had, I think there would have been a lot more than eyebrows being raised. Their interactions are often contrived leading to a predictable conclusion.

So where does that leave us? The book felt uneven as I couldn’t get invested in the romance aspect but really enjoyed the suspense component. I also didn’t like Julie but I enjoyed Nikolai. Bruhns’ concept very original but I think the execution could have used a little more polish.

[Kellie Maddox-Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

AMAZING COVER
WOW… I had to have a glass of water close to me at all times reading this. Personally Russians do nothing for me, (I think I have seen too many movie’s where they are just mean and cold hearted and well… not hot) but after this.. WOW I love our Kapitain, our Hero, a HOT HOT Russian by the name of Captain Nikolai Romanov., also ex FSB this one scene! Holy Hell. Our heroine Julie walks into Nikolai's cabin and he had just come out of the shower and only has a towel around his neck and Julie can see ALL his tattoos…. Well Yeah definitely a seat squirming moment!

Julie Severin is a CIA Analyst. Posing as a reporter. She is not a field agent. Which is why she is probably the worlds worst Spy. EVERYONE knows she is a spy. Including the Captain. Which is why he wants to keep her as CLOSE as possible.

It was supposed to be a simple scientific expedition in the Arctic Circle, however nothing is what it seems, the Scientists aren’t who they claim to be, someone is sabotaging the Submarine, a Chinese Submarine is following them, and Julie and Nikolai are falling in love. As stated in the book. “The cold war may be over but can these 2 actually be together? “

41/2 Stars

[Bookaholics · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red Heat by Nina Bruhns
Romantic Suspense -June 7th, 2011
4 ½ stars

Red Heat is a fantastic new book that lovers of hot suspense will greatly enjoy! The hero is sexy and noble and made me wish I had a Russian submarine captain of my own.

Nikolai is a decorated Russian submarine captain whose last decision to rescue survivors earned him a demotion to a rickety low level submarine that should have been sent to the ship yard ages ago. Now instead of a new state of the art submarine and important missions, he is delegated to escorting a crew of national scientists to the Artic. This is a routine and boring assignment until he is called by a devious FSB (Russian Federal Security Bureau ) leader. Soon Nikolai finds himself blackmailed by a secret in his family’s past to watch a supposed CIA on this expedition - a female reporter named, Julie Severin. His mission is to discover her secrets by ANY means! Nikolai is offended. He isn’t going to pimp himself out to discover secrets not matter how much his government pressures him. That is until he spies the beautiful agent…

Julie can’t believe she has been roped into being an undercover agent on an expedition to the Artic. She is afraid of water. And she isn’t crazy about Russians since they murdered her father. Plus, she hasn’t been trained as a spy; she is a desk analyst for goodness sakes! But when she meets the attractive and noble hero, sparks fly. But can she trust a Russian especially when he confronts her with his brazen sexuality?

This book was Red Hot! I loved the passion between the two main characters. I really felt that they fell in love. At first I wasn’t sure about the hero, but soon I came to adore him. He is caught between his ideals and his honor. He is an admirable and very human character who cleverly tries to find a way out. Julie is also a smart character who feels out of her depth especially when it comes to the hunky captain. I loved that they both try to find a way to be with each other despite the terrible odds against them. I also liked how the author really conveys the feeling of being on a cramped submarine. It gave me great admiration for those who serve on submarines and made felt like I was living on/in the ocean when I read this book.

Brimming with passion and suspense, the book had me spellbound from the first page. You will not be disappointed in this thrilling book.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

[Kelly22 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!! This one is one heck of a super hot romantic suspense read! It features a sexy Russian military hunk, exactly like the one in the cover!! :)

The hero is Captain Nikolai Kirillovich Romanov who happens to be a Russian naval officer is one really hot hot hot guy!! He is currently facing tribulations with his work for an episode that occurs a month ago while he was playing a commander in a high-profile Russian Nuclear submarine. Suddenly he violets direct order and takes off when a mishap transpires. Due to that he was designated as a commander of the a crashed and almost wrecked, old-fashioned submarine called B-403 Ostrov, leading a group of scientists into the Arctic to do his new assigned job of collecting climate data.

The heroine Julie Severin, a CIA analyst, is an undercover agent who is acting as some reporter and is in the same submarine. She is not a pro in going underground and moreover this one actually proves to be a major challenge for her since she has a fear of water due to her one childhood incident when her father was killed in Moscow.

Meanwhile Russian Federal Security Bureau aka FSB, reports Nikolai about an American CIA agent feigning as a reporter in his submarine crew. That’s where the story gets very interesting!

Nikolai meets the Julie and flirts with her and she asks him to buzz off. They feel the magnetic pull among themselves. Nikolai proves to be man in a mission with his bold seduction schemes and shameless persuasion! It gets impossible for Julie to overlook his advances and his excellent skills at being a spy and keep on her façade.

The guy has the upper hand on her in this spy thingy since he is much experienced. The chemistry between these two floats up out and they try to fight it. But finally, we see, the two nemeses stumble on combating a trailing battle against a scorching magnetism that they feel against each other which proves to be deeper than the Arctic Ocean itself and primitive than the force of nature herself!

People who loves an indisputably hot alpha hero with a uniform who triumphs the water better than any dangerous pirate ever did and a determined beautiful heroine who is failing miserably in posing as a con and is afraid of water like death, and a sizzling hot chemistry between these two individual with a decent story plot, will definitely want to read this book!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com

REVIEW: 4 out of 5 stars

I absolutely loved Bruhns Passion for Danger series so I have been anxiously awaiting the release of 'Red Heat', the first book in the Men in Uniform series.

CIA analyst Julie Severin has been given a field assignment to board a submarine, pose as a reporter writing about the international scientific team studying the effects of global warming on the pacific arctic and locate a hidden mini SD card, not an easy mission when she has an irrational fear of water and a true dislike of Russians, holding them accountable for the murder of her father.

Captain First Rank Nikolai Kirillovich Romanov is a decorated officer of the Russian Navy and from a politically suspect family. He is in charge of commanding the Ostrov, an ancient, broken-down submarine; a demotion after his last mission went wrong. He has orders to find out why a CIA agent has been sent on a routine, unclassified expedition and to do it by any means necessary.

Julie had been railroaded into a mission she was unprepared for and ill equipped to deal with; she was pitted up against Nikolai who was smart, irresistible and completely relentless. She couldn’t lie if her life depended on it so her top-secret mission wasn’t so secret for too long.

I enjoyed Nikolai and Julie as a couple, who would have thought operatives from different agencies and countries could make the relationship work; the odds were certainly against them but their chemistry and attraction was instantaneous and I loved the Russian terms of endearment he used with her.

Red Heat is a fast-paced adventure through the Bering Seas filled with intrigue, action, mystery, politics and a steamy hot romance.

I love Bruhns writing style, you can tell she has certainly done her research.The dialogue was smart and witty and held my interest and the plot kept me riveted and I absolutely love the scorching hot man candy on the cover!

A great start to a new series, I am looking forward to reading Clint Walker’s story in White Hot which is due to be released in 2012.

[gert · Rating 1 out of 5]

my first thought when i finished this book? how the hell did it get so many positive reviews?

this book was the pits, imho. by 62% complete, i started forcing myself to finish it.

in order to enjoy this book, you need:
- to totally suspend any feelings of realism regarding international waters, the russian, chinese and american navies, the cia and politics. seriously. it bandies about political intrigue w/russia, china, the states. we get names/types of nuclear subs. all wrapped up in TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE. author should have bypassed any tidbits of political intrigue and just stuck with "romance".
- to not be bothered by a heroine who appears to have multiple personality disorder. one minute she's smart and brave. the next minute, eyes widened, she's just a helpless waif, caught up in a situation she can't control. the next minute she's spouting the art of war and able to categorize the strategy of a chinese sub commander.
- to believe that a romance could occur in a sub between a captain and a 'visiting journalist'. there's, like, 75 levels of hierarchy, and yet NO ONE calls him on it? just a couple of disgruntled/suspicious looks?
- not care about fleshed out relationships.

will not bother with the rest of the series.

[Sheryl C. Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOT HOT HOT!!!! Only Ms. Bruhns could make a RUSSIAN submarine captain a total hottie, that had me fanning myself SEVERAL times... the one scene where Julie goes into Nikolai's cabin and he had just come out of the shower and only has a towel around his neck (eeeekkkkkk!!!) and Julie can see ALL his tattoos, seriously had me reaching for a cold glass to press against my flushed skin...in other words...YOWZA, Nikolai is HOT!!!

And oh yeah, i would really like to lick the model hottie on the cover as well!

[WhiskeyintheJar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many unbelievable events and actions taking place but in the end I just didn't care because this was such a intriguingly different story. The suspense, who is the saboteur, part completely eclipsed the romance side of the story. Heroine was borderline TSTL which dropped this from being a 5star book because the interaction between her and the hero didn't quite gel for me at times. The hero, Nikolai was hot, hot, hot. Seriously, top 5 hottest male characters I've read all year.
Read this for the suspense, hero, and just plain old interesting-something-new aspects.

[Anne OK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the "Passions for Danger" series - each and every book. However, "Red Heat" didn't appeal to me in the same powerful way as I anticipated. It was a fine read, well done as usual by this author but it didn't hold my attention and I found myself laying the book down for long intervals before picking it up again. I'm not giving up on the series, however, and will definitely read the next one.

[Yvette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the ideas that the author has but did she really have to make the main female such an idiot. She's the worst CIA agent ever! It's actually upsetting me so much that I don't really care to finish the book. That plus the constant internal dialogue. It's just taking up space in the book, that much thinking isn't necessary!

[Crystal _ Reading Between the Wines Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot Russian submarine captain with a chip on his shoulder meets an inexperienced but feisty American spy! Red Heat was a great story with captivating characters and intense action. Though there wasn't a whole lot of smexy time, the story had plenty of yummy tension.
Red Heat made for a fantastic and suspenseful read and I look forward to the next book in the series!

[Hbeebti · Rating 4 out of 5]

MMMMM Totally yummy. Wonderful first book of the series. Look forward to the next one.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie, a analyst for the CIA who is afraid of water, finds herself given field duty on a submarine. Nikolai is the Captain of the Russian submarine she is on, along with a group of scientists. From the start, Nikolai knows Julie is a spy on his sub. They are attracted to one another, but do not trust each other. The book transports you to life on a submarine and government espionage. Things begin happening on the sub, is it Julie, a scientist, a Russian sailor or just an old submarine? Book keeps you guessing until the end.

[sisiena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was predisposed to like this book bc I’m a little history nerd who likes naval warfare stuff and thinks submarines are cool. I’m apparently also a fan of men in uniform in positions of power so I’m biased.
-Fun premise
-That’s not how healing phobias and trauma works lmaoo
-A lot of background characters that I got mixed up because they felt same-y
-Gay side character that was lowkey offensive

[TinaMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

He's the captain of a Russian sub and she's a CIA analyst thrown into the field at the last minute. She's a terrible spy and he knows about her before she even boards the ship. Ok read.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setting: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiya; Moscow; Russian science sub Ostrov, heading for Arctic; American bar

Theme: love, patriotism, respect, intrigue

Characters:
Captain First Rank Nikolai Kirrillovich Romanav – mother killed when he was young (on streets of Moscow)… hints that his mother was a family weakness, but he never knew why. Father a cold hearted, straight line Communist, even though country not communistic. After a short stint with renamed KGB because of subtle blackmail, Nikolai joins the navy and quickly rises through the ranks to be a distinguished submarine captain… but when he ignores orders to not help out the survivors of a Norwegian sub they accidently hit when a sonar equipment failure, he is held to be a hero to the world, but is demoted by the navy… now given an old diesel sub and to escort an international science team to the Artic… when his old, oily supervisor at the KGB tells him that there is a female spy on the trip, and he is to use any means possible (seduction?) to find out what she is looking for and retrieve it himself.

Julie ‘Liesha‘ Elizabeth Severin – father a CIA agent, killed in the streets of Moscow 20 years earlier. She followed in his footsteps to join the CIA, but determined not to do field work… She speaks 3 languages, and is an analyst of Chinese data – but at the last minute is sent to sub for another injured agent to find a chip hidden by a double agent, with only the clue of ‘crown’. The chip has design features of the newest Chinese sub… and she has written a program to analyze the pictures of nooks, pipes, and crannies that she has taken to isolate the chip.

Summary:
Nikolai tracks her in the bar the night before they are to leave, and almost seduces his way into her bed… and she is shocked to find him captain of the sub the next morning. He arranges to share his cabin with her, claiming to sleep when she is up and about, and vice versa. He confronts her about being a spy… and at first is threatening to have her arrested, but eventually wanting her trust and needing to know so as to protect her and his sub from sabotage. She is no field spy, and blushes at the drop of a hat… but she takes her pictures, interviews all for her fake newspaper job, and eventually figures out that it is hidden in the crew’s costume box with a crown.

However, Nikolai’s 2nd in command is in love with a Chinese general’s daughter, and is sabotaging the sub – eventually trying to kill Julie. And a Chinese sub is shadowing them. And Navy Intelligence has a man on board too, who will help them out in the long run.

Julie and Nikolai fall in love, even though both know that it cannot continue… She learns his mother was an American, and a double spy against Russia, and that he has family in New York… he figures out she is looking for a microchip, deducing it from her behavior, and confirmed when he confronts her. At the end, when he has been shot, the sub filling with carbon monoxide gas, the crew is abandoning sub (to be rescued by the Chinese) where they plan to take the microdot from her.. the Navy Intel has called for help, as well as Nikolai… they give the microdot to navy intel, who is swimming away in scuba equipment to be picked up away from the subs… and she begs him to stay with her on the American helicopter… and then she begs to be allowed to join him on the Russian copter, but he tells her no…

6 weeks later, she’s more open and friendly with her coworkers at the local bar – and Nicolai walks in… with the worldwide watching of what happened on the sub, with navy intel help, he is assigned to be an instructor at the navy yard… and they are able to be together… ahhhh

Memorable scenes:
Her suitcase and clothes dropped into see and through propeller, leaving her without her own clothes… she wears Nikolai’s one piece work jumper, with his name embroidered on it, appearing that she belongs to him… hmmmm

[Helyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love me some romantic suspense with sexy military hunks-the sexy Russian accent, which I of course could only hear in my head, was just icing on the cake.

Captain First Rank Nikolai Kirillovich Romanov is a Russian naval officer who is a bit down on his luck where his career is concerned. Just a month ago, he was in command of a first rate Russian Nuclear submarine. When an accident occurs and he disobeys a direct order to flee the scene, choosing to stay and help with the rescue, he is demoted, big time. Now in command of the B-403 Ostrov, a broken-down, and much neglected diesel-electric sub, he is tasked with taking a group of scientists into the Arctic to collect data regarding the climate and environment. The night before he is to depart, Nikolai is approached by a member of the Russian Federal Security Bureau or FSB. Think: KGB. Nikolai is well aware of the FSB and what they do, having worked a short stint for them in his younger more naïve years. They have something on him and use it to keep him in line. He hates this leash they have on him, but he really has no choice, considering his recent failings. The FSB contact informs him that an American CIA agent posing as a reporter will be amongst the scientists leaving on the Arctic expedition and Nikolai must find out what the spy is after.

CIA analyst Julie Severin is the agent tasked with posing as a reporter while she attempts to fulfill her objective. Julie is not a field agent; in fact, she’s never done anything like this. She’s also got major baggage. Because her father was killed in Moscow when she was a child, she distrusts all things Russian. If that wasn’t enough, due to a childhood accident, she’s deathly afraid of the water. She forces her fears aside, determined to be successful in this mission.
The sparks fly right off the bat between Nikolai and Julie. They both try to fight it, but their attraction is strong and despite Julie’s trust issues where Russians are concerned, she’s having a really hard time not reacting to Nikolai’s blatant advances. Julie is not cut out to be a spy, though, and Nikolai trips her up easily. She’s not on the sub long when he accuses her of being a spy.

It’s clear for both Nikolai and Julie that their attraction is so much more than what it appears to be on the surface. In spite of their respective “missions” they both find their feelings to be real and special but the fact that they are supposed to be enemies keeps the tension high between them. While they each strive to be loyal to their task and their country, the lines easily become blurred as they struggle with the decision of how to do the right thing.

I very much enjoyed Red Heat. We learn right away that Nikolai has lost favor with the Russian Navy and my initial thoughts of Julie were that she was some kind of scapegoat for the CIA to be given this mission. Clearly she is not spy material, but she surprised me. She was strong and it becomes clear as we learn more about the mission that she has the intelligence and specific credentials to carry it out and succeed in her task. The secondary characters are an interesting and very likable mix of people. Nikolai’s crewmen are loyal to him and I could feel the camaraderie and respect that they felt for him. While we meet all the scientists of the expedition, we only really get to know a few of them but they provide some humorous moments and some of them will surprise you. The action is fast paced and Red Heat is full of deception, secrets and intrigue and will keep you guessing until the very last pages.

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book! It was also a refreshing change of pace for a romantic suspense. We have a unique hero in the fact that Nikolai is a Russian Sea Captain. It also reminded me of that old fashion movie Operation Petticoat. Nikolai has been made captain of an old leaky submarine because of an incident involving a crash of his prior submarine and his superiors have put him in this position to run a scientific expedition to the Artic. Now at first glance our heroine, Julie is TSTL. I mean she is sent to be a spy and find a SD card that is buried somewhere on Nikolai’s sub. I mean she doesn’t have the experience or poker face to be a spy. Some of the things she does make me giggle and they come off as something that Doris Day would have done. (I am a sucker for those old romantic comedies) Nikolai knows from the beginning and lets her know he knows. Even Julie is questioning what her superiors were thinking sending her on this mission. She doesn’t even like Russians…really…some of her least favorite people. No…no Nikolai’s kisses shall not sway her…not at all…well maybe just a little.

I am also a sucker for really hot kissing scenes and there was a doozy in this one...it was HAWT! The loves scenes were plentiful and gave us plenty of opportunity to feel Julia and Nikolai's love.
I have been critical of NB in the past because she usually crowds her books with 2 or 3 couples fighting for face time and it, IMO, weakened her whole story line. This book has been wonderful in the fact that we just have one couple fighting, loving and figuring out how to make it work. The whole set up was believable and I could see it happening. We even got some insight to our next hero. So if you haven't read NB before this is the book that I suggest you start with. Especially if you like tall, blue-eyed blonds with muscles and sexy tatts. Bravo!

[Laura Navarre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have long awaited the guilty pleasure of reading Nina Bruhns’ Red Heat, which immediately caught my eye with its disgruntled Russian submarine captain hero—strikingly similar in some regards to my own renegade Russian sub captain in The Russian Seduction. Brunhs’ Captain Nikolai Romanov may be in disgrace, but he has an unavoidable sexual sizzle, “killer handsome in his uniform of black and gold.”

In Red Heat, Romanov’s secret mission is to identify the American spy hidden as a journalist aboard his Russian research submarine and prevent her from making off with a top-secret data chip that would resurrect his sinking star and prove his worth to his FSB handlers.

Nikolai doesn’t expect the CIA spy to be beautiful, vulnerable yet capable analyst Julie Severin. And neither of them expects the dangerous attraction that pulls Julie into Nikolai’s bed—and his heart—in the midst of a perilous mission to the Arctic Circle. Now Julie must decide what matters most: her loyalty to her country and her valued career with the CIA, or her growing passion for Nikolai. Before the Chinese sub stalking them through the frigid Arctic waters loses its waning patience and torpedoes everyone aboard the aging Russian vessel to keep Julie and her secrets buried forever.

Happy reading!

Laura Navarre
www.LauraNavarre.com
Desire has never been so dangerous.

[Edie Semchee · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I liked the story line to this book. It kept me guessing which doesn't normally happen for me. The downside of this book... the main character is very whiney, has no confidence, and is really really terrible at her job. If you can get past how annoying she is, it's not a bad read. I found that all the Russian names were kind of hard to follow mostly because they were all a lot alike and I couldn't always remember who was who.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red Heat is the first in Nina Bruhns new series Men in Uniform. I purchased this book based on my self-proclaimed “cover whore” reasons! Boy, am I glad I did!
I loved this book and struggled to put it down. I usually read a majority of paranormal romance but this has started a new start for Romantic Suspense as far as I’m concerned.
The hero of the story is Captain Nikolai Kirillovich Romanov, a former Russian Federal Security Bureau officer and the commander of a top class Russian Nuclear submarine, is demoted, after disregarding a direct order, as punishment he is given command of a run down, old-fashioned submarine leading a group of scientists into the Artic.
Julie Severin, a CIA analyst is ordered to pose as a reporter and locate a SD card that is hidden on the submarine. Julie has never been in the field and hates anything Russian with a passion – her father a CIA agent was murdered by Russians.
There are sparks from the first moment these two meet, with Nikolai knowing she is a spy!
I have already added the next book “White Hot” out in 2012 to my list to buy.

[Anita Bianchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stò proprio scoprendo che questa autrice mi piace. Amo soprattutto la sua capacità di far vivere al lettore la vicenda e soprattutto la sua bravura nel rendere quasi fotograficamente l'ambiente in cui sono ambientati i suoi romanzi, rendendoli quasi dei film. In questo caso abbiamo una vicenda ambientata all'interno di un vecchio e arrugginito sottomarino russo: il mezzo viene messo a disposizione di una spedizione scientifica internazionale e al suo comando viene posto Nikolai, il più giovane comandante di sottomarini nucleari, ora retrocesso a causa di circostanze sfortunate. Ho amato molto il personaggio di questo capitano, un uomo giusto e testardo, che non si piega di fronte a nessuno e non si abbatte contro le difficoltà. Ho amato un pò meno invece Julie, una spia talmente imbranata e sprovveduta da sembrare inverosimile. Un bel romanzo per passare qualche ora spensierata all'interno di una spy-story che tiene il lettore incollato al romanzo con una tensione continua (di ogni tipo...)!

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot how Nina Bruhns sucks you into her series and makes you go NO I have to wait for the next book.. Her last series Passion For Danger sucked you in and you could not wait to get to the last book.. This is the first in her new Men In Uniform series. And where it was not as strong of a opener book as her previous series was it still had you ready to read the next book about Clint Walker which continues the story from this one.. This book had two strong characters - Russian Nikolai Romanoff of the Russian Navy and CIA analyst Julie Severin. The chemistry between these two is hot from there first meeting even through both of them have issies with the others country. Maybe it was because this book took place on a submarine that it was limited on the action so that made it a little of a slower read but all in all it was a good first start to what I hope is a another exciting series from Nina.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The BIGGEST reason this book lost a star was because there were multiple times in which the author chose to use Russian phrases using Russian letters and did not explain what they meant in English or how to pronounce them. I get trying to represent the country the hero is associated with, but to use what (to me) looks like the symbol for Pi next to a funny b and the number 3, and leave it at that, was frustrating. I enjoy learning words, phrases, titles, or terms of endearment from romance novels, but it's only fun when I have an explanation for them or can at least type them into my computer to see what they mean. I don't know, maybe that's just me. Moving on...
The story itself was very good. The ending held quite a twist that I wasn't expecting and that always makes a book more interesting. Overall, I really did enjoy this book, despite the Russian letters, and will be finishing the series.