Ad alto rischio

Troubleshooters #8

by Suzanne Brockmann

Jane Mercedes Chadwick, produttrice cinematografica di larga fama, sta lavorando a un film ambientato durante la seconda guerra mondiale, che narra apertamente la vicenda realmente accaduta di un soldato omosessuale. Ben presto ottiene l'attenzione dei media e le proteste di diversi gruppi estremisti; ma nonostante la quantità di lettere, telefonate ed e-mail di protesta che riceve, non intende abbandonare il progetto. Le lamentele però si trasformano in minacce di morte: Hollywood assolda delle guardie private per proteggerla, e anche l'FBI si interessa al caso. E il fastidio che la donna mostra nei confronti delle misure di sicurezza, insieme al suo carattere fin troppo indipendente, non rendono facile il lavoro di Cosmo Richter, un agente speciale dei SEAL affidato al caso, che dovrà affrontare una vera e propria guerra personale e un'irresistibile attrazione per quella produttrice così testarda...

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

512 pages, Hardcover

First published December 28, 2004

About the author

After childhood plans to become the captain of a starship didn’t pan out, Suzanne Brockmann took her fascination with military history, her respect for the men and women who serve, her reverence for diversity, and her love of storytelling, and explored brave new worlds as a bestselling romance author.

Over the past thirty years she has written sixty-three novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. Her personal favorite is the one where her most popular character, gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, wins his happily-ever-after and marries the man of his dreams. Called All Through the Night, this mainstream romance novel with a hero and a hero hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. In 2007, Suz donated all of her earnings from this book, in perpetuity, to MassEquality, to help win and preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.

In addition to writing books, Suz writes and produces indie movies and TV including the award-winning romantic comedy The Perfect Wedding. Her recent feature, Out of Body, is streaming on Amazon Prime.

In 2018, Suz was given the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest projects are Blame It on Rio (Tall, Dark & Dangerous # 14), available in print and e-book from Suzanne Brockmann Books, and Marriage of Inconvenience, a six-episode LBGTQ rom-com TV series, streaming on Dekkoo in April 2023.

Reviews

[Jonetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

2022 Update

the setup…
Navy SEAL Chief Cosmo Richter is what you’d call the strong silent type. When his mother is injured in a fall, he’s forced to take vacation and come home to Los Angeles. He also decides to make the best of his time off by moonlighting at Troubleshooters. However, his assignment is anything but being under the radar as he’s providing protection services to Jane Mercedes Chadwick, a movie producer whose latest project is controversial and has generated threats serious enough that it’s gotten studio and FBI attention. She doesn’t think it’s necessary and finds the security intrusive, especially since who she is really is a far cry from the image she projects to the public.

the heart of the story…
Cosmo and Jane, on the surface, seem to be polar opposites. Her behavior initially was outrageous, one she created to compete and survive in the male dominated Hollywood world of studio management and producers. It made for some entertaining situations between these two as she tried to rattle the unflappable Cosmo. Their relationship took some time to develop and the delight stemmed from seeing both step out of their stereotypes and discover how much they admired and respected the real man and woman. Typical of stories in this series, there was a secondary storyline that was equally compelling involving the normally buttoned up FBI Agent Jules Cassidy, his ex-lover Adam Wyndham and Jane’s brother Robin who’s the lead in her new film. I learned a lot about Jules through Adam and I ached for him. His new “friendship” with Robin was a nice balm and his restraint made me admire him even more. The threat to Jane was indeed real and created some extremely scary moments, including a devastating loss.

the narration…
Patrick Lawlor & Melanie Ewbank found their rhythm in this story as the transitions were smooth and seamless. I loved their voice interpretations and they moved this long, complex story along nicely. Still loving my decision to reread the series on audio.

the bottom line…
I think I loved this story more the second time around. It’s been many years since I first read it and so much seemed new. But the romance between Cosmo and Jane still was the highlight even though Jules’ relationships was an extremely close second. Everything about this story worked as identifying those behind the threat was equally tough and intriguing. The subject of Jane’s film was about a WWII gay veteran and that provided a opportunity to explore historical and contemporary attitudes about homosexual relationships. It was enlightening and fresh both at the time it was originally published and now. Listening to the story just made it an even better reading experience.

Posted on Blue Mood Café

2010 Review
I LOVED Cosmo Richter! He's the strong, silent type and extremely loyal. His relationship with Jane Chadwick is off the charts steamy. Loved everything about this story.

Also loved the secondary storyline involving Jules and the introduction of the enigmatic Robin Chadwick and Adam. We see a more vulnerable Jules, which just made him appear more complex. Can't wait to see how these relationships continue.

[Kaje Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a reread for the I-don't-know-howmanyth time. I had this book in paperback, and it was battered enough that I saw a $5 hardcover and bought that. Suzanne Brockmann is my favorite author of contemporary M/F romance, and in this book she gives Jules, her gay FBI agent, his own romance thread.

This book is part of the "Troubleshooters" series, but it can be a starting point - I read it first. You will miss some of the secondary character by-play. Also at the beginning, Jules meets up with Adam, his ex-boyfriend. While I don't think Adam ever appeared on page before, he has wandered through Jules's backstory in previous books. But this holds together as a solo read.

In most of this series, the author writes about one couple who gets a solid HFN/HEA and other couples on their way to their romances, or separating, or after the HFN. This book has two main romance arcs, and the HFN is not Jules's M/M romance, but the M/F relationship of Cosmo and Jane. There are two more books for Jules and the actor Robin, whom he meets here. This one is bittersweet, the next (Force of Nature) is HFN and the third (All Through the Night: A Troubleshooter Christmas) gives them their HEA. But Cosmo is also one of my favorite of her straight SEAL MCs so it works for me - a longer arc for Jules, and a nice romance for Cosmo.

One of the things I love about Jules is that, although he's a stellar FBI agent, smart, courageous and an excellent shot, he's not the "I'm more macho than any straight guy" type of gay law-enforcement character. He's small and looks like the member of a boy band. As he says in an earlier book when someone asks if his boss knows he's gay, "I sing show tunes in the hallway. I have a signed picture of the cast of "Queer as Folk" on my desk. I smell good all the time. I think Max knows."

Robin, the actor he meets while investigating a death threat against Jane, Robin's sister, is a different matter. Robin has a famous father who completely neglected him from his babyhood on, especially after divorcing his mother. Since she was an alcoholic, Robin was pretty much on his own, until his older half-sister took him under her wing. He's very fixated on his image, on outward approval, and on success with his acting and with women.

He drinks too much, treats people badly out of fear, intoxication and confusion. He's signed on to play a gay character for the first time, and it is doing very scary things to his latent sexual desires. And he's attracted to Jules, which makes him want to run screaming in the other direction. Robin is the very definition of a hot mess.

Jules also has an immediate attraction to the sexy bleach-blond actor. But since he is both more self-aware and more adult than Robin, he tries hard to do the right thing. That's not easy, when the guy he's coming to like blows hot and cold, and is in the general sights of a crazy stalker aiming at his sister. But Jules has one hell of a lot of self control.

Add in Adam, Jules's ex, who is a promiscuous type of guy, and has the role opposite Robin, spending time kissing him on camera, and nothing is going to be easy for these men.

Cosmo is also a wonderful character. He's a huge, muscular, silent Navy SEAL on the surface. He has a fearsome reputation with his team and outsiders. This is partly to hide the fact that he is a softy inside. He is completely wrapped around the finger of his sweet but slightly crazy, show-tune-loving mother. And he falls fast and hard for Jane.

Jane is the author and director of several movies. She had enough of a previous hit to get backing for a new picture, a WWII bio-picture that has both a straight and a gay love story in it. It's the gay story which is bringing the film, and her, both good and bad attention.

On the even-worse attention side, it puts her in the sights of a stalker who is furious at her choice of historical gay guys. Even though one of the men involved in WWII is her source and advisor, the man he loved left him after the war and lived a closeted life. And some of the people who admired that man and his family are furious to have him portrayed as gay. Someone out there is willing to do whatever he can to stop the picture being made.

Jane is a strong character, a woman with goals and ambitions. She plays the bimbo when it gets her something useful in the dog-eat-dog world of Hollywood. But she is genuinely fond of her little brother, Robin, and determined that her story of suppressed and unrecognized love should make it to the screen. She hates leaning on anyone, even someone big and strong like Cosmo. And she is determined to handle things herself, much to Cosmo's dismay.

I love the characters in Suzanne Brockmann's books. I enjoy the ensemble cast, which doesn't lose sight of the main characters' romance. The thriller aspects are well done, and characters are rarely stupid or in danger without good reason. She's willing to make things go wrong in serious ways, and yet delivers heart-aching sweetness between loving couples.

If you like M/F I urge you to read this whole series in order. It begins with The Unsung Hero, and Tom, the MC of that one, is just a wonderful guy. Although her SEALs and FBI and Troubleshooters men lean a bit toward the perfect, they all have flaws and self-doubts enough to make them feel real. And they are seriously excellent.

If you don't like M/F much, you can read the three Jules-and-Robin books I referenced above. They make a nice sweet M/M arc.

If you hate M/F, then don't go there. All three of the books have an M/F couple, and the sex is more explicit for them than the guys. Given that Hot Target was first published in a mainstream series in 2004, Suze was leading the way. Even genre M/M was in its early days, and for a book that was destined to hit the NY Times Bestseller list, this was probably a wise choice.

Hot Target is a book that no doubt led many romance readers toward M/M and an acceptance of gay love-stories as more than a match for straight ones. For that alone, I'm delighted it was written. But on its own merits, it is also a book that makes me smile, and ache, and care, and reread. Multiple times. Highly recommended.

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ½ stars – Romantic Suspense

Two main reasons to read this book:

1) Navy SEAL Cosmo Richter: He’s strong, tender, protective, intelligent, caring, brave, emotionally honest, fierce, sweet, and just flat-out too yummy for words!

2) FBI Agent Jules Cassidy: The openly gay agent (one of the best characters in the series) has been a trusted, devoted, fearless, and loyal teammate and confidant to SEAL Team 16 and Troubleshooters, Inc. and is looking for his own well deserved moment in the “sunlight” and HEA. I can’t wait to read his story in All Through the Night A Troubleshooter Christmas.

I cracked up when Jane asked Cosmo how SEALs distinguish between a mission goatf*ck and a clusterf*ck. Like, is there really a difference and how can they tell? That part was just too funny!

I also loved Brockmann’s touching, heartfelt opening book dedication to her gay son, whom she notes as an inspiration for her work.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for something to occupy his time while on leave from the Navy SEALs, Cosmo Richter takes a job with Troubleshooters, Inc. They have been hired by a Hollywood Studio to protect movie producer Jane Mercedes Chadwick. She has received death threats from extremist groups who object to a real-life World War II hero being portrayed as gay. As Cosmo and the other Troubleshooters, as well as FBI Agent Jules Cassidy, try to find who is behind the threats, their investigation turns deadly.

Suzanne Brockmann is certainly on a roll with this series. It's been one 5-Star book after another for me. This one is no exception. I liked how Jane and Cosmo went from not liking each other, to friends, and eventually to lovers. Cosmos' back story was very interesting. I thought he and Jane were a good match. But my favorite storyline in this book was Jules Cassidy dealing with his ex-lover, Adam. It's taken a couple of years for Jules to get over him. Now Adam has won a role in Jane's movie. It seems like everywhere Jules turns, he runs into Adam. To make matters worse, Jules is attracted to Jane's brother, actor Robin Chadwick. But Robin is in denial about his sexuality. The Jules-Adam-Robin triangle kept me glued to the book. My rating: 5 Stars.

2022 Re-read: I'm re-reading the series with a group on Goodreads. This story is still just as fresh as when I read it several years ago. I love the characters and the snappy dialogue. This time around, I listened to the audiobook narrated by Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank. It was great! This is still a 5-Star book.

[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Holy crap! I actually mostly liked this one!

Right away, this book had four things in it's favor:
1) New-to-me characters. I don't recall Cosmo from the first four books, but I liked him. Jane was great too. Patty came around big time from her starry-eyed beginnings of a naïve intern, and Robin was a drunken lush with massive issues but I could see his good qualities attempting to shine through. Wayne was interesting and I liked how expectations were twisted with him and Patty. Hell, even Adam had a couple of good moments near the end there. He's still a douche though.
2) No Sam and Alyssa. I hated their toxic attraction to each other - and that's all it was. The only good thing they could ever say about each other was how sexy the other looked. Their "courtship" was drunk sex and insults. Not a strong foundation for the HEA they apparently got in the previous books, but it got them out of this book, so I wish them well. If this were RL, I'd give them a year if I were feeling generous.
3) No WWII flashbacks. I was right: getting rid of those allowed everything else to flow much better. There was still WWII stuff, since the film being produced was based on the WWII Ghost Army, specifically two gay men who found love for a few days during the war. And we still have one of the WWII survivors in the story, as with the first four books, but here he actually contributes to the current story and doesn't detract. It was all much better used and more seamlessly integrated into the main plot.
4) More Jules. He's no longer just the gay sidekick and finally gets his own time in the spotlight. He's smart, competent and tough. He's a little stupid about love, but he learns to value himself by the end.

Of course, this wouldn't be Troubleshooters if stupid still didn't happen. There's instalove (they knew each other barely a week and were already planning nuptials and saying they couldn't live without the other person, oh geez); drunk sex; ridiculous plot holes you can drive a tank through (military personnel aren't supposed to moonlight while on leave, but here our boy is moonlighting, on national TV no less) (oh, and he's on leave to help his mom who he barely even spends time with) (but hey, all in the name of true love, right?) (oh, and he's not a civilian, he's Special Ops military; how do you even make a mistake like that?); the incredibly contrived TSTL ending that took up the last 20% for a climax that I couldn't even be bothered to care about because it was so predictable I was insulted that I was expected to use brain cells to read it; and most importantly, Cosmo's mom doesn't appear on page ONCE! She's a Broadway musical jamming mama, she's supposedly the reason Cosmo's even in this story, and we don't even get to meet her. The hell!

Cosmo/Jane: Ok, I might have eye rolled at the things I mentioned above, but I really liked them together and separately. They're great characters, they have flaws that make them relatable and their strengths complement each other.

Jules/Robin and Jules/Adam: what a hot holy mess this started out as. I'm glad Jules stuck up for himself and made it clear he deserved better to both Robin and Adam. But geez, the first prominent gay storyline in this series (unless something else happened in the three books I skipped over) and both the potential love interests were both self-involved douches. True, both Robin and Adam were given reasons for being that way, but seriously. It's at least somewhat balanced out with the Jack character and his story, but that's not a big part of the book, though it does inspire all three guys to do better in their own ways. Also, you can tell this is an early '00s romance aimed at het audiences because the het couples get on-page sex times but the gay couples don't. I wonder how many people missed the irony of Jane fighting to make sure the gay and straight couples in her movie got equal screen time, because I sure noticed it. I could feel Brockmann talking to her publishers with those lines. I wonder if that's why the sexy times were kept to a minimum here. Not that I can really complain about a minimum of sex scenes, since that's always a plus for me.

Anyway, I finally got through one of these without skimming or skipping or straining my eyes from constant eye rolling, so this is a definite win in my book.

[jenjn79 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 8th book in the series, and it's by far that worst. It plain on sucked, big time.

The male lead is Cosmo Richter, a SEAL on a month long leave who offers his services to Troubleshooters Inc so he won't get bored. The female lead is Jane Mercedes Chadwick, a film producer who is getting death threats because of her "true" story about a gay WW2 hero. TS (Troubleshooters) is hired by Jane's studio to provide security for her and to also figure out who is sending the threats. So Cosmo, along with Nash, Tess, Deck, Murph, and Dave (all from book #7) become her bodyguard/security team.

Also in this book is Jules Cassidy, a (gay) FBI agent who has been in almost all the other SEAL 16 books. He's sent out by the FBI to help investigate the threats. While he's there, he runs into his former live-in lover, who broke Jules' heart. Jules also meets Jane's brother, Robin, and finds himself hopelessly attracted to him, though Robin claims to be straight.

There are about 5 billion problems with this book. The biggest, in my opinion, being that like half the "main" characters were utterly unlikable. I couldn't stand Jane. She was manipulative, selfish, inconsiderate, sleazy, and just damn annoying. Her brother is a total prick, uses woman and is just an asshole. Adamn, Jules' ex-lover, is pretty much a male-slut completely out for himself. Patty, Jane's assistant, was such a total twit. How anyone could be as stupid as her is beyon me. Then there's Cosmo. I didn't dislike his character in the book, but Brockmann did him a serious disservice. In the previous books, she'd built him up to be this really mysterious character who you are just dying to know about, a real serious guy with, maybe with dark secrets. But in Hot Target, he pretty much doesn't fit that role at all. He just didn't fit what she'd built him up to be.

The storyline was...eh. It had its good points and bad points.

Brockmann may also have gone a bit overboard with the homosexual angle of the story. What was supposed to be a secondary plot almost entirely took over the story. It was a bit unexpected. Maybe I would have found more interest in it if I'd even remotely liked Adam and Robin.

The books was just very superficial. It jumped around too much, mistreated characters, had characters acting in ways that made no sense, and just didn't capture my attention in the least. I had a really hard time finishing it. The only redeeming quality of the book was Jules, who is such a fabulous character. His emotions in Hot Target were wonderfully portrayed. That alone was all I liked about the story.

[Zeek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been reading Brockmann's Seals Series from the beginning and always enjoyed them. This one? Eh. Too much Jules not enough of the supposed hero and heroine.

In Hot Target, it just ticked me off that she spent so much time on the Jules, Robin, Adam triangle that she wasn’t able to develop Cosmo and Jane- the supposed hero and heroine of the story. I liked Cosmo dammit, I wanted to have his story!

Anyway, I’m gonna give this one only 3 of 4, for being annoying.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y le doy 5 porque no le puedo poner más.
Esta serie ya me gustaba mucho pero con este libro se supera!!!
Como en toda los libros de la serie está la relación de la pareja protagonista, Cosmo y Jane, y una secundaria y es en ésta donde el libro me ha deslumbrado, con un Jules desatado (era un personaje secundario en libros anteriores que parecía interesante) y no cuento más porque no quiero espoilear pero todo lo que le pasa a Jules es mucho más interesante que lo que le ocurre a los teóricos protagonistas (que tienen un historia atrayente, con un Cosmo que no es como parecía en libros anteriores)...lo malo es que su historia no acaba en este libro.
Le doy un 10 a Suzanne Brockmann por ser valiente y contarnos esta historia en una serie sobre SEALs y salirse de todos los clichés del género.

[Sandra Hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars - Another outstanding book in the Troubleshooters series! Navy Seal Chief Cosmos Richter is a man of few words, but when he speaks, everyone listens. His reputation/legend proceeds him. It's said many men fear him. A giant of a man, Cosmos is strong, protective, gorgeous and "real" - a safe harbor in stormy seas. He meets Jane Chadwick, movie producer, when he hires on with the Troubleshooters as one of her bodyguards after her life is threatened. Cosmos & Jane appear to be total opposites (her public appearance screams "bimbo") and yet the windows fog up when they're in the same room. I loved watching these two characters dance around one another, both battling the emotional eruption that threatens to tear down their emotional walls. Great, steamy story!

But...as always, there are multiple plot lines playing out in Hot Target, and I have to say that FBI agent Jules Cassidy waltzed in and came close to stealing the show in this one. I fell in love with him! A "love" triangle plays out between Jules, Robin (Jane's brother & an actor), and Adam (Jules cheating ex-fiance/lover). Some of the most emotional, heart-touching scenes occur between these three characters. I can not wait to read Jules story . . . it has to be a good one!

Hot Target is a sizzling, intense, emotional blockbuster with Brockmann's signature multiple story lines playing out on the screen. Grap the popcorn, drink, & tissues before getting comfortable with this one . . . you'll need them! A Page Burner! A Must Read!

[Yolanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha encantado! Es sabido que me encantan este tipo de libros de fuerzas especiales y este es de lo mejorcito que he leído, el mejor. A parte del romance entre los protas, la acción y la intriga, todo el libro toca un tema llevado con mucha sensibilidad y cariño extremo. Los protagonistas Jane y Cosmo me han encantado pero está Jules que es lo más adorable, sincero y sensible... Me ha enamorado absolutamente. Para mi la Brockman...se ha salido con Jules.
Jules, te quedas conmigo!!
Gracias Elsa por otra de tus maravillosas recomendaciones.

[Pepa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una novela extraña. Me ha gustado, sí. Pero no ha sido lo que me esperaba y no tengo muy claro que entre dentro de la romántica pues el romance no es lo que mueve la trama.
La autora lo dedica a su hijo y se nota.
Digamos que hay tres temas importantes y ninguno de los tres me ha convencido porque todo resulta muy light. Creo que la autora ha intentando abarcar demasiado y no ha tenido extensión para desarrollar demasiado ninguno de las tres temáticas.
Punto 1: el romance. Me ha gustado pero ya está. Un personaje Cos, muy desaprovechado que se pasa toda la novela diciendo frases geniales, de esas que ♥♥♥… pero su relación con la protagonista es un odio-amor demasiado apresurado que concluye demasiado rápido y te deja. Pues vale. Su historia empieza genial y me ha gustado, pero a la mitad del libro ya está y claro te deja un poco chafada
Punto 2. El suspense. Está bien, La novela tiene un buen ritmo y te mantiene atento todo el rato, pero si algo odio es que al final me aparezca un personaje de la nada y te deje con cara de idiota. Pues eso, que las escenas de acción son geniales. La ambientación, ese rodaje, genial, esa puesta en escena muy bien. Pero me da mucha rabia cuando el lector actúa como mero espectador y la autora no le da pistas para que pueda interactuar.
Lo mejor: Robin, un personaje controvertido que no se hace de querer, lo siento. Lo entiendo y creo que la autora plasma muy bien sus choques internos, sus grandes problemas y en general va explicando ese mal comportamiento y deja muy claros sus motivos. No sé, me da la sensación de que lo deja todo preparado para escribir su historia, no sé si en forma de relato corto.
En general es una novela que me ha gustado, engancha y se lee muy bien, la recomiendo si os gustan las novela de acción policiacas aderezadas con una historia de amor. Pero tengo claro que ese romance no es el motor que mueve la trama, por lo tanto, no creo que estemos ante una novela que se pueda encuadrar dentro de la romántica.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio

Jules and Robin!!!!!! 💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋💋

Hot Target is the book that introduced me to gay romance. Before this book I didn't know it was a genre and I had no idea how big my obsession would become. Now I own possibly thousands of mm romance and have no hope of ever reading them all. 😁

I have read all the books in this series multiple times and I have my favorite characters. Robin and Jules are definitely one of them. No, they do not get an HEA here but they do get one so don't give up. The MF characters, aside from Alyssa and Sam, Max and Gina, I don't really care about. The stories are good but I don't get excited for them.

I highly recommend this story. The audio was good. The male narrator did a fine job. His voice didn't match the male characters, for me, but that's not his fault. He is very talented and while I wish his voice was better suited, I did still enjoy the audio. I am so excited for next book!!!!!

[Daelith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this series many years ago and really enjoyed them. We had this big climatic build up to Sam and Alyssa’s story. After reading that though, I felt let down. It just didn’t live up to expectations. But I thought, okay…lots of pressure there for that one. Every writer has a disappointing book at some time or another for their fans. This one was it for me. It was awhile before I read the next book, though I had purchased it. Thinking I’m going to get back into reading her stuff. I have a mass TBR pile though so it got shoved to the bottom over time. So I ended up buying several more books by her and they ended up the same. When I finally got around to reading Flashpoint, I really didn’t care much for it. So I’m beginning to get the feeling that Brockmann just isn’t going to cut it for me anymore. Then I began hearing some negative things about Hot Target. But I had already purchased the book so I felt compelled to read it. (I hate spending money on books then not reading them.)

Overall, I give Hot Target about 2.5 stars. I’m only going to go 2 here because I just don’t feel it deserves 3. I felt that there was too much of an agenda for the author to get her views across in a number of things. That’s all well and good, but I think this book could have been about 150 pages shorter without all of it. I guess she did a good job in making me dislike certain characters. I don’t think I was suppose to dislike quite so many of them though...Adam, Robin, Patty, even Jane on numerous occasions. Adam reminded me too much of Jack from Will and Grace.

I still have a couple more books by Brockmann. The reprint stuff is going to go unread despite the purchase of them. I think I have 2 more of this particular series left...Max and Gina story, plus one other. I’m going to try to get them read. Hopefully she’ll get back to the hetro-romances that I prefer.

So overall...way too long, annoying, predictable characters, a little too soap-boxy on issues and same-sex sex situations that I’m not use to in romances geared for women.

[Zairobe25 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jules Jules Jules ♥♥♥♥♥

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot Target
4.5 Stars

On leave from SEAL Team 16, Cosmo Richter accepts a freelance job with Troubleshooters, Inc., which has been hired to provide protection for Hollywood producer, Jane Mercedes Chadwick. Jane has been receiving death threats due to her controversial new film focusing on the homosexuality of a WWII hero. Soon sparks are flying on the set not only between Cosmo and Jane, but between the leading man, Robin Chadwick, and FBI agent Jules Cassidy. With the cast and crew in the crosshairs of a killer, dangerous and desperate decisions will have to be made.

It is a toss-up as to whether this or book #3 is my favorite in the series. Looking at the two books, it is clear that my preference is for strong, silent, and stoic heroes, and Cosmo certainly meets each and every criterion. Unlike Teri, who is likable at the outset, Jane takes some getting used to as she initially comes across as shallow and self-absorbed. It soon becomes clear that she has developed this persona for professional and personal reasons. One of the highlights of the book is that both Jane and Cosmo are able to see beyond each others' facade to their true selves.

The secondary storyline focusing on Jules and Robin is just as engaging and it will be interesting to see how Brockmann develops this relationship as Robin is still in denial regarding is sexulaity. Adam is the one problem with this thread. He is completely self-centered, egotistical obnoxious and unlikable yet he exhibit some emotional depth every now and then that makes the reader reconsider his nature (even if it is short-lived). Kudos to Brockmann for creating such a morally ambiguous character.

While the assassin plot takes a back-seat to some of the other drama in the book, it develops well and keeps the reader guessing. The climax and resolution are intense and exciting, and there is one truly heartbreaking scene the really brings the threat to the fore.

Overall, one of the best books in the series and I look forward to the next book, which focuses on another couple whose story has been long awaited - Max and Gina.

[Luli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este es el segundo libro que leo de la Sra. Brockmann y aunque ha estado muy entretenido no ha sido especialmente interesante.
Lo que más me gusta de esta serie es que cada libro tiene varias historias de amor, y es esto precisamente, lo que ha hecho que éste no haya estado tan bien. Han sido demasiadas y el romance principal ha perdido fuelle por culpa de los romances secundarios.
Por un lado tenemos a Jane (aka Mercedes) y Cosmo que deberían ser el romance principal aunque no me ha parecido así. Por otro lado tenemos un triángulo amoroso gay (Jules, Adam y Robin) éste último (Robin) también tiene un desafortunado affaire con Patty y como colofón está el romance que aparece en el film y otro más que aunque tiene poca cobertura también aparece…ves? Han sido demasiados.
Jane y Cosmo apenas han tenido tiempo de darse a conocer, todo ha sido muy rápido y aunque la premisa era muy interesante, con las prisas los personajes han quedado muy planos y mira que tenían posibilidades.
Pasa más o menos lo mismo con el triángulo amoroso (o lujurioso, más bien…) Hubiese sido muy interesante si la autora les hubiese dedicado más tiempo, pero al final ha resultado muy cliché y sin sentimientos…una pena…
Y finalmente, el suspense, que tampoco ha sido desarrollado eficientemente.
Lo mejor del libro ha sido la historia (super corta) que tiene al final. En resumen, cuenta cómo se siente, en una pareja de militares, la persona que se queda en casa cuando su pareja es destinada a un conflicto. Con todo lo corta que ha sido y eso que no conocía a casi ningún personaje, ha sido muy intensa, con mucho sentimiento y muy realista. Esa sí me ha gustado.


This is the second Mrs. Brockmann's book that I have read and although it has been entertaining, it has not been particularly interesting.
What I most like about this series is that each book has several love stories, and this is precisely, the reason because I do not like this one. It has been too many and the main romance has lost its strength because of the secondary romances.
On the one hand we have Jane (aka Mercedes) and Cosmo which should have been the main romance even though it has not seemed so. On the other hand we have a love gay triangle (Jules, Adam and Robin,) the latter (Robin) also has an unfortunate affair with Patty and to top it all off there is the romance that appears at the film and another that although it has poor coverage also appears... you see? They have been too many.
Jane and Cosmo barely have time to make themselves known, everything has been very fast and although the premise was interesting, the characters have felt very flat and the romance have been rushed.
More or less the same thing happens with the love (or lust) triangle; It would have been interesting if the author had devoted more time to develop it, but in the end, it had felt very cliché and unfeeling... a pity...
And finally, it has been the suspense, which has not been efficiently developed.
The best of the book has been (the super short) story that there is at the end. In short, it tells us how feels, in a marriage between militaries, the husband, who stays at home, when his wife is deployed to a war zone. Although it has been very short and I did not know almost a character, it has been intense, with much feeling and very realistic. That I liked a lot.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED Chief Cosmo! Finally, we learn the truth behind the legend and meet the man. I wanted to slap Jane Chadwick in the beginning, but understood her facade. I especially loved the secondary story involving FBI Special Agent Jules. Oh, Jules! Onto the next book.

[ElaineY · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW OF EBOOK; AUGUST 2011: 5 STARS

Hot Target has made me want to go back and reread the backlist. Except Flashpoint. Apart from a few sections where I felt it got a little preachy, Hot Target is now one of my favorite all-time RS. And that it's an MF is a big surprise despite my waning enchantment with MM romance. Or perhaps the secondary romance between Jules and Robin, just seeded here and not quite taken root yet, is a bigger reason for my enjoyment than I realize?

The last time I read a Troubleshooter book was back in 2003 when the long-awaited Gone Too Far was released in hardback - Brockmann's first and mine for romance. After Flashpoint - which I only remember for my inability to get a fix on where the heck it was going with the romance - I was so turned off Brockmann that I tuned her out completely. I'm not only glad Hot Target has brought the Troubleshooters back onto my radar, there was a point during my reading where I hoped I'd lost the allure for MM romance and would stop spending so much money on them as most weren't worth the time and the expense. All the reasons I loved mainstream RS came flooding back to me - solid plots and character development, good balance between the romance and action, plenty of sexual tension but no need to skim past pages of sex.

Hot Target gave me just about everything I love in RS - a likeable hero, riveting secondary characters and a satisfactory suspense thread. While I prefer something more "international" like Amy Fetzer (but NOT the way she writes them. Ugh!), Brockmann's tendency to not lose focus on the romance is what made her a comfort read - with the exception of Flashpoint (I've got such a negative impression of that book I really ought to give it another go!).

I don't remember anything about Cosmo beyond his name. I don't know which book he first made an appearance but it didn't matter. From what one reviewer said, it sounds like I was better off not remembering or I, too, could have felt his book was a letdown. As it is, I liked Cosmo very much. He was a good opposite to Jane who is hard to like at first and even later on, I can't say she won me over 100%. Still, I can believe in their HEA. What irked me, rather than intrigued, unfortunately, is Decker and Sophia. Is there supposed to be a thing between them? I sensed that and it probably started in Flashpoint as that's where I recall first meeting them, but only vaguely. Those two are still like sand in my shoe here in HT, though. Odd, you just don't 'take' to certain characters or couples even when they haven't done anything wrong.

Jules. Now Jules is one gay character who deserves a series all of his own! He could introduce us to his gay friends and their romances and other gay FBI agents ad nauseum. Perhaps get the mainstream RS authors to write the romance/action and an MM romance author to do the sex scenes...because I'm not sure (yet) whether these mainstream MF authors can or want to write gay sex scenes. I think Brockmann is the only mainstream MF author who I've read an MM thread in her book. I sort of got disgusted with being cock-teased by J R Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood even way back before I'd read an MM romance and dropped her cold with no intention of returning.

If there's anything I felt could be better, I suppose it would be the suspense plot. The perp's identity was anti-climactic for me. I expected it to be someone more connected to the story.

And I really wanted to remove a star because Patty, who must be one of the most annoying secondary characters ever, wasn't killed off. Ooh, I so wanted her dead. Maybe I'll get lucky and she gets offed in one of the later book. A victim of The Dentist, perhaps?

5 stars, anyway, because Hot Target kept me interested from start to end and at over 500 pages on my reader, there's no MM romantic suspense to compare with except Zero to the Bone. For me, Hot Target is exceptional in that I was pulled me into not just the MCs' romance but the secondary one as well and both didn't overwhelm the suspense thread - something of a bugbear with me in MM romantic suspense.

[Palomaferi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo incluiría entre los libros de suspense romántico.
Cosmo es un Madelman que luego resulta un oso amoroso y habla poco, pero cuando habla.....Y actúa...
Ella se oculta bajo una actitud de glamour y poder que trata de disfrazar su personalidad y su vulnerabilidad.
La mayor parte de centra en la acción de suspense policial (no me quejo, a mí me suele gustar).
Y hay otra historia paralela que es la que me ha atrapado y gustado con ese sabor agridulce de algo que todavía espera su final feliz entre personas que lo buscan desesperadamente.
El libro comienza con una dedicatoria a su propio hijo muy enternecedora, con mucho amor hacia él.
En general, entretenido.

[Hildy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally had a huge chunk of time to read a couple more of the books in this addictive series. I wasn't going to write a review of this because when I was finished, I downloaded Breaking Point and started it immediately, because MAX, but I decided to throw a quick review together anyhow.

When I started this book, I thought we were mostly going to be getting Cosmo's story but the big surprise for me was that this was just as much Jules' story. I was THRILLED because if Jules was real he'd totally be my best friend. At times, his character is a little stereotypical but mostly I think Jules is such a breath of fresh air in this series of serious tough guys. He's smart, sexy and confident and is often the voice of reason. It was wonderful to get his back story of a past relationship and see him struggling just a little. I can't wait to read more about Jules but my book mentor refuses to tell me when that story is coming. Grrr...

Back to Cosmo. I really enjoyed the relationship between Cosmo and Jane. The main story takes place on a movie set, which was a great change of pace. There was a lot of humour and lightness to this story. We were also introduced to a few new characters who I know we will be learning more about in the next 1000 10ish books in the series.

And whatever you do, do NOT skip the dedication in this book. It's one of the best things I've ever read. It made me tear up and then run to my family and read it to them. Beautiful.



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[LaFleurBleue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe 4.5, not exactly perfect and totally amazing but really close to it.
I really enjoyed the reminder in the prologue or first chapter regarding the mystery around Cosmo, who he was, what he thought, well the big mystery surrounding him than nobody seemed to be able to see through, not helped by his persisting silence. His first encounters with Jane/Mercedes are worthy of the best SEP - no way those two will manage to end up together. And despite this rocky start and an heroine whose outer personality seemed rather despicable at first, their relationship built beautifully. I was totally convinced that for both of them, it was their first true non superficial dating and that each managed to bring out the best in the other.
The heroine quickly grew on me, as I managed early to separate the game she played, the appearances she wanted to give and who she really was, but that might turn off other readers.
And the insights into Jules's feelings were extremely well-managed. I would have liked him not to fall again for another player, but the new one seemed more deeply insecure than a real jerk, while his former lover was definitely a world-class undeserving jerk with no valid excuses.
A very good book and a very solid seemingly unpromising though well matched new couple.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, I have missed this world! There is nothing like the way Suzanne builds story arcs over multiple books. When I first went into this book, I was a bit skeptical of the movie angle, but it worked surprisingly well. Cosmo was such a unique character. People think he's a robot, but instead he's a sensitive, shy, open-minded Navy SEAL. I adored his character. But the development of Jules and Robin... yes! It's been awhile since I've read a good m/m story, and the emotional struggles and angst of that one has me rushing to the next book. I love this series and all of these characters so much.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I hate giving this book only 3 stars, I just can't bring myself to give it another. I liked it, but that's about it. Usually when I read a book by SB, I hate putting it down (I could so put this one down). Compared to the others, this one just did not do it for me. I just could not get into the story line. I really liked all of the characters (loved Jane and her sassiness), but the story line (for me) just was difficult.

[Paola Segura · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,75

[Olivermagnus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Troubleshooters novels usually have two main stories, plus a third related to something that happened during WWII. In Hot Target the main story features Cosmo Richter, the minor story features FBI agent Jules Cassidy, and the WWII story is told through the making of a movie called American hero.

Cosmo, has always been one of my favorite Team 16 SEALs. He's mysterious, quiet, and has eyes like a husky dog. While on leave to take care of his injured mother, Cosmo takes a quick job with Troubleshooters to work as a bodyguard for J. Mercedes Chadwick. She's an ambitious movie producer who has extremist groups threatening to kill her for daring to focus on a gay World War II hero in her latest film. I was disappointed that Cosmo wasn't developed as well as I'd hoped. The other books in the series seem to make him out to be this strong, very independent, quiet navy SEAL member, who supposedly is some kind of legend for killing so many enemies during a botched foreign raid. As much as I wanted to love Cosmo's story it was just too contrived. Why did Cosmo have to belong to PFLAG, with an actual card in his wallet, for readers to believe that he was sympathetic to gay people? A tremendous build-up that ultimately falls a bit flat.

FBI agent Jules Cassidy has a talent for attracting unsuitable men. Hot Target is where he first meets Robin Chadwick, who plays a gay role in the movie, and starts to come to the realization that he could be gay himself. He is incredibly attracted to Jules. Jules has been hurt before and doesn’t want to be go through it again, knowing that he could easily fall for the hot actor in a flash.

Soon the more compelling triangle of Jules-Adam-Robin heats up the story. When Jules' former boyfriend, Adam, is cast as Robin's lover in the movie, things heat up. Brockmann portrays the triangle with such sensitivity and compassion, the reader is swept away with the romance of it all.

Troubleshooters novels are always fun, fast reads and this one was too, despite my disappointment with the Cosmo storyline.

[Karina Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

El suspense romantico es uno de mis generos favoritos y esta historia me ha gustado mucho, no solo por sus protagonistas sino por todos los secundarios que han acompañado a Janie y Cos..
Jules me robo el corazón.

[Christine Kirchoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this awhile ago. It was fantastic!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was a little bit too long, but I still liked it a lot. It had everything I look for in these kind of books; suspense, romance, mystery, drama. But I feel like this book was more character driven, so that what I'm going to talk about in this review.

Characters I liked:

◆ Jules. Yes, I'm starting out with him because he was the greatest character in this book. I just love him so much... his character development throughout the book was amazing. I want him to be happy so bad. He deserves all the happiness in the world. There's a reason Jules is the favourite character of this book of basically everyone. He's so lovable and just... fabulous.
◆ Then there was Cosmo. Of course I couldn't not talk about him in this review. Let me just tell everyone that I officially claim him as my virtual-husband. There's nothing else to say.
◆ Robin. Yes, I did like Robin. He pissed me the hell of multiple times, to the point where I just wanted someone to give him a good punch in the face, but I couldn't help liking him at the end of the day. He's a big fuck-up, and an asshole, but I still think him and Jules would be so freaking great for each other.

Character I liked but then I didn't:

◆ Jane. I started out reaaaally liking her. She was amazing and I thought she'd be like that for the whole book. But I ended up being disappointed when I saw her manipulate and use people to get famous, without thinking of the consequences of her acts. She just did what would advantage her, and then she also got mad when she got told what she did was wrong and could end up hurting people professionally. But basically Jane could be likable in some places and then unlikable a few page later. So that's why she's in this list.

Characters I strongly disliked/hated

◆ Patty. Gosh, Patty. So I started the book and the first time she came up I thought she was very sweet and everything. But then when we got to her first POV, oh my Gosh I couldn't stand that girl anymore. The way she was ~in love~ with Robin and the way she kept stalking him was so freaking annoying. Now, I know a lot of (teenage) girls who were like that in high school, but Patty was twenty and still acting like a love-sick puppy. I do think Robin was a jerk and handled the whole situation with her very badly, but at the same time Patty was TSTL. It took her half (50%!!!) to realize that Robin didn't want to be her boyfriend. Ugh, I really could've gone without her POVs, it was horrible to read.
◆ Adam. Oh, Adam, Adam. I really didn't want to end up disliking him because he's part of the other gay couple in the book... but you can't help to just want to shove his head into the wall... multiple times. He's such a man-slut and so selfish and inconsiderate. Robin was right when imitated Adam; "me, me, me, blah, blah, blah". Adam wanted to be the center of attention, and fuck whoever got hurt along the way. Ugh, hopefully I end up liking him later (people did say that he does redeem himself), but right now I only have hate for him, to be honest.

So those are the characters I felt the most strongly about. I'm starting Force of Nature right now, to see what happens next with Jules and Robin because I can't get enough of those two and their story.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jules and Robin's relationship in All Through the Night: A Troubleshooter Christmas made me want to read Hot Target, but Suzanne Brockmann's wonderful writing has made me want to go back to the beginning of the Troubleshooters series and read them all. I was afraid that I'd find everything but the Jules/Robin 'relationship' boring but that was not the case. I enjoyed everything about this book. I thought the plot/case was very interesting and kept my attention the entire time. (Unlike Kiss the Girls, which I just finished, this book had a lot of action.) I liked all the characters, even the ones I found pathetic and annoying (like Patty, omw.) and have found a couple new favorites in Jules and Cosmo. (I laughed out loud and then read to my husband the scene toward the end where Jules hears breaking glass and Cosmo yells out "Trucks open".) I found Hot Target to be funny and entertaining and I can't wait to read more in this series.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

08/30/2022 - I listened to this book for this reread. The narrators were excellent, but I haven't changed the feelings I expressed in my original review. I just didn't like this book. Not much action and soooooo much angst.

Still waters run deep. Don't believe everything you hear. Those clichés just about sum up what we know about Cosmo Richter up to this book. In Hot Target we get the story of Cosmo, Chief of SEAL Team 16, and Jane Mercedes Chadwick, Hollywood party girl producer. Cosmo is on leave to take care of his mother who has broken both her wrists. He loves her but she is driving him nuts. He takes an apparently easy assignment with Troubleshooters to earn extra money by playing bodyguard to Jane who has received death threats due to her current project, a WWII story about two gay solders. Both Cosmo and Jane are blinded by their first impressions until they have their first fight and start to get to know the real person behind the façade.

FBI Agent Jules Cassidy meets up with former live in love, Adam. Jules also meets Robin, Jane's "straight" brother who is so far in the closet he will need a flashlight to find his way out. But it is instant like between Jules and Robin. This is the first time we get to know Jules and he comes across as a wuss and emotional needy. Not at all how I want FBI agents, even gay ones, portrayed.