Author: Susan Stoker
Publisher: Self
Date of publication: February 2016
** Rescuing
Rayne is the 1st book in the Delta Force Heroes Series. Each book is a
stand-alone, with no cliffhanger endings **
As a flight
attendant, Rayne Jackson is used to cancellations, but she never dreamed her
latest would lead to a whirlwind tour of London with a handsome stranger…or a
life-altering night in his bed. One evening is all the enigmatic man can give
her, and Rayne greedily takes it, despite suspecting it will never be enough.
Heading home after another extreme mission, Keane "Ghost" Bryson
hadn't planned to seduce someone during his layover, but Rayne is too sweet to
resist. Being a Delta Force member means lying to protect his identity, which
is unfortunate, considering Rayne seems made for Ghost, right down to the
tattoo on her back. For the first time in his life, regret fills him as he
slips away the following morning.
Both are shocked when, months later, they meet again—under the worst possible
circumstances. Seems fate has given them a second chance…if they can survive
the terrorist situation they're in. If Rayne can forgive Ghost his lies. And if
Ghost can trust Rayne to be strong enough to endure the secrets and uncertainty
that come with loving a Delta Force soldier.
Rescuing Rayne is the first book in a new series and the first one I have read by this author. Keane, aka Ghost, is on his way home from a secret mission when he meets Rayne in an airport. After their flight is canceled, they decide to see the sights of London together. Their one night stand leaves a lasting impression on both of them and six months later, both of them still can't forget the other one.
I have mixed feelings about this story. I loved the first part of the book. The first half is pretty much their day in London and them getting to know each other. I liked their chemistry a lot .I was looking forward to the later meeting between them. I was really rooting for them to get their HEA.
What I was unprepared for was the middle part when Rayne is taken hostage. I'm not usually one for saying a book needs a trigger warning, but I really feel like this one does. The captors go into great detail about what is going to be done to Rayne and I was kind of surprised at that part. I really felt like the amount of detail was unnecessary and kind of turned me off on the story at that point.
This new series seems to be an offshoot of the author;s "Seal of Protection" series. I'm going to have to go back and check that one out. The next book in this series comes out later this summer. I look forward to checking it out.
Excerpt:
“Is
this seat taken?”
Ghost turned toward the low,
husky voice that immediately made him think of sex. He’d been aware that she’d
been walking toward him, as he was of everyone who moved around him. He was
always on alert, ready to take whatever action might be needed. It was
engrained in the very marrow of his bones.
A brunette stood next to him. Her
hair was pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck. There were wisps of
hair hanging around her face, which had obviously fallen out of their
confinement. She was fairly tall, especially in the heels she was wearing.
Ghost guessed her to be around five-eight or so. She was pleasantly rounded in
all the right places. Her Marilyn Monroe physique was a turn on, as was the
bright smile she was aiming his way.
Her accent gave away the fact she
was American. She was wearing a navy blue skirt and shirt, and was pulling a
blue suitcase and a small matching bag behind her. Obviously an employee of the
airline, a flight attendant, she greeted him warmly.
Ghost shook his head and gestured
toward the seat, inviting the woman to sit next to him.
“Thanks.”
The woman sat down, opened the
small blue bag, and fished out her cell phone. She turned to him and asked,
“Going somewhere fun?”
Ghost wasn’t sure he really
wanted to get into a chat, but he was bored, and he might as well pass the
time. He’d never been one to reject an opportunity to talk and flirt with a
pretty woman. “Home.”
His one-word answer didn’t seem
to daunt the flight attendant. “Ah, American. Where’s home?”
“Texas.”
“Really? Me too! How funny that
we’re going to the same place. Out of all the people I could’ve sat next to, I
picked someone who was going to be on my flight.” She laughed. “You are on flight eight twenty-three, right?”
Ghost nodded.
“Cool. But my place in Texas is
really more of a place to store my stuff than a home, since I’m usually
working. I currently have the European shift. I’m gone more than I’m home.”
Ghost smiled inside. The woman
was very pretty and her bubbly personality was pleasant. “Yeah, I travel a lot
too, so I know what you mean.”
She beamed. “Ah, I didn’t really
peg you as a businessman, but I guess looks can be deceiving, huh?”
“What did you peg me as?”
The woman tilted her head,
contemplating his question. Her lips pursed and then she bit her bottom one.
Amazingly, Ghost felt himself getting excited.
Jesus, was he that hard up for a
woman? He tried to think about
when he’d last had the pleasure of a woman’s company in his bed, and was amazed
to realize he wasn’t sure. The team had been busy lately with ISIS ramping up
their efforts to cause panic around the world, they hadn’t had a lot of time to
themselves back home. But it was more that he was tired of all the tag chasers
in Texas…women who only wanted to sleep with military men to say they’d done
it. Military men were accused of being sex-crazed, but the reality was, around military
bases, there were plenty of women who saw marrying a military man as a way out
of their destitute existences. Not only that, but some were obsessed with
sleeping with as many soldiers as possible.
“Bounty hunter,” she said
resolutely.
Torn out of his internal thoughts
of when he’d last had sex, Ghost chuckled out loud in surprise at her
deduction. “Bounty hunter? Really?”
“Uh-huh.”
When she didn’t elaborate, Ghost
crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at her. “Why?”
“Let’s see…”
Buy links:
About the
Author:
New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author,
Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Texas where she lives, but this
all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri,
California, Colorado, and Indiana. She's married to a retired Army man who now
gets to follow her around the country.
She debuted her first series in 2014 and quickly followed that up with
the SEAL of Protection Series, which solidified her love of writing and
creating stories readers can get lost in.
Website: http://www.stokeraces.com/
Newsletter: http://www.stokeraces.com/contact.html
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Susan_Stoker
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorsusanstoker/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8247140.Susan_Stoker
Dragonfish - This was a random audio pick from my library. It should have been one that I passed over. It was boring and confusing. The characters were unlikable and I really didn't care to listen beyond the first disc..
