‘Winter,’ he says. ‘You’re going rogue again.’‘Desperate times.’‘This is like chess and you’re the Queen. The best player on the board doesn’t get into a fight with a pawn.’‘The Guardsman is no pawn.’ Winter returns to face the most feared hitman of all time: the nameless, faceless contract killer, the Guardsman. Secret Service agent Winter knows global crime boss Alek Konstantin’s days are … numbered after she seduced him, then revealed his identity to the world. Now, permanently on the run from the authorities, Alek fights to regain control as the brutal criminal organisation he ruled with an iron fist crashes down around him.Then a young woman called Lucy is viciously stabbed and dumped on a mossy grave, a harrowing message for Winter carved on her forehead. Winter follows the trail to the Guardsman – a pitiless contract killer, and Alek’s top hitman. Has the Guardsman gone rogue or is Alek pulling the strings to taunt Winter once more?In a desperate bid to lure Lucy’s killer from the shadows and find a path to Alek, Winter books the Guardsman for a hit on herself. If she succeeds, she’ll have the world’s most dangerous killer at her mercy. But if she fails… A spine-tingling suspense thriller, perfect for fans of Sandra Brown and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.What readers are saying about Alex Callister:‘Wow! Double wow!! Triple wow!!!… This book took me for a ride on a rollercoaster… This book definitely gets a place in my top for 2020…. If this is what Winter is like, I don’t like the other seasons anymore.’ B for Book Review, 5 stars ‘A clever, original spy thriller… There are nods to Bond and Bourne throughout Winter Dark… She could seduce Bond and leave him heart broken. She could outfight Bourne and leave his legs broken… Winter Dark is a gripping, pacy and highly original thriller. Highly recommended.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars‘This book was really good! I love the main character! I can’t wait to read more of the stories! The book is full of action-packed thrills and rides!’ Goodreads reviewer‘Winter is a badass character. There will be a movie made about this book… The author set out to create a female James Bond and pretty much hit it spot on… The book is a page-turner.’ Goodreads reviewer‘A high-octane thriller… It is a thrill-a-minute, edge-of-your-seat thriller that will have you quickly turning the page… will keep you entertained and engrossed until it’s thrilling denouement. A great read that will spike your blood pressure accordingly – not for the faint-hearted!’ Goodreads reviewer‘I wound up wrapped up in the story and couldn’t put it down.’ Goodreads reviewer‘Loved it! I want more! Can’t wait for the next instalment.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars‘It is hard to put this one down! Lots of twists in this quite different and spectacular read! RECOMMEND HIGHLY!!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars‘I loved it. Intense and filled with twists and turns. Just when you think you know what is going to happen next, Winter surprises you… I cannot wait for the next instalment!’ Goodreads reviewer‘Now there is a new kid on the block, the love-child of Jack Reacher and Lisbeth Salander… she can out-punch Bourne and out-pull Bond.’ Independent‘I am in heaven.’ Goodreads reviewer
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Winter Rising by Alex Callister
The Winter Series #2
On the edge of my seat from beginning to end! This story grabbed my attention and held it from beginning to end. Winter is a superb main character that I am eager to read more about as soon as the next book is ready!
What I liked:
* Winter: smart, brave, exceptional in all that she does, able to hold her own in a fight and almost anywhere else. She is a woman to admire, fear and find out more about. I wonder if SHE believes there is one right person for HER…
* Alek: The bad guy that holds the world in his hand and has intrigued Winter – I want to hear more about him
* The two youth she has taken on and how they follow her a bit like ducklings imprinted on her
* Simon: The quartermaster there for her when she needs him
* The plot, writing and pace of this story
* That not all expected to be on the side of right are and on the flip side…not all that are expected to be evil are without a soul
* The chess game played out on the board of this story
* The mysteries solved
* That the evil were truly evil, remorseless, and nasty people that deserved to be taken down
* Winter’s “other face”
* Written down as I read: complex, taut, lone wolf, impulsive, traps within traps, brash, interesting, intriguing and more
* Not knowing who to trust
* The twists, turns and surprises
* Trying to figure out what the implication of 12 and all the ramifications it would have in this story
* Wondering how it will all play out
What I did not like:
* The loss of innocents
* The truly evil people unveiled…so deserved what they got
Did I enjoy this book? My – oh MY – I surely did!
Would I read more in this series? As soon as I can!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Winter is back and feistier than ever. The world is (literally) on fire following the action of the first book. Winter has a new assignment and takes her usual risks, but this time she is haunted by her encounter with Alek Konstantin. I loved how Winter’s character was further developed in this book and how she came to some realizations about herself. The action is absolutely page-turning. I have become invested in her and can’t wait for the next installment. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of this book.
Heart-pounding danger with a female James Bond Total adrenaline fest!
Just as lightning-paced as Winter Dark, I adore agent Winter and this resumption of her scary exploits. This loner operative could be unlikable, but author Alex Callister has given her heroine her soft side, in her unstoppable attraction to Alek, the Dark Prince who heads a global criminal network; her mentorship of two young, unlikely recruits; or her sympathy for Lucy and subsequent victims of Alek’s most senior and cruel assassins. Winter is a consummate hard-bodied fighting machine with a heart.
In this second book in the series the world is in turmoil with revolt, lawlessness and violence taking over in a perceived power vacuum. As the world’s key leaders prepare for a meeting to address the problem, Winter gets drawn into a web of seemingly unrelated events with the Guardsman, one of crimelord Alek’s principal contract killers, constantly involved. Something supremely bad is going down and Winter’s determined to prevent it. Once again, Winter is changing identities and moving country to country meeting shady characters along the way.
I have to admit that I, like Winter, was totally surprised by the Guardsman’s identity when they finally meet. But the climatic fight scene was worth the wait. In fact, I read until I neared the climax and then put the book aside for a day because I did not want the story to end!
The writing is top-notch and I would put Callister’s action series against the best in the genre — Jack Ryan, move over!I
Thanks to publisher Bookouture and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review and the opinions expressed are my own.