Dangerous secrets force Caradine Scott on the run from Grizzly Harbor—with Alaska Force leader Isaac Gentry in hot pursuit—in the irresistible new romantic suspense from USA Today bestselling author Megan Crane.After an explosion that should have killed her, Caradine barely escaped her criminal family by leaving her old identity behind. These days she runs the Water’s Edge Cafe in a rugged little … Edge Cafe in a rugged little town on the edge of nowhere, vowing never to let anyone close to her again.
After his career in the military, Isaac is back home playing the part of an unassuming local in Grizzly Harbor, while also overseeing Alaska Force’s special ops work as the founder and commanding officer he once was in the Marines and beyond. He has better things to do than obsess over a woman who claims she hates him, but every glimpse he gets of the vulnerability beneath her prickly exterior is a distraction . . . and a challenge he can’t ignore.
When Caradine’s demons catch up with her, her cafe isn’t the only thing that blows up. Her past pushes them together, and closer to a future that’s been waiting for them all this time. They just have to survive long enough to enjoy it.
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Fans of this series have been waiting for Isaac and Caradine to get their HEA from the beginning and Crane does not disappoint. A must read for fans of high-octane suspense and strong women.
Delta Force Defender by Megan Crane is book four in her Alaska Force series. Though part of a series, it reads as a standalone.
Caradine Scott is bad-mouthed, bad-tempered and beautiful. As the owner of the Water’s Edge Café in remote Grizzly Harbor, she’s part of the tight-knit community, but she holds herself apart. Caradine ran to Grizzly Harbor when her life literally exploded. Now she’s on the run from Grizzly Harbor because her life has exploded again.
Isaac Gentry is the ruggedly handsome founder and commander of Alaska Force, a group of elite ex–special forces operatives now working to help individuals who have exhausted all other options.
Author, Megan Crane brings together a hero and heroine that seriously butt heads at every opportunity, because neither wants to give up their supposedly reasonable but weak position. Isaac wants to rescue Caradine from her situation, but she refuses to be rescued. They’ll both have to make major changes personally, if their attraction is ever going to lead to something more substantial.
Delta Force Defender is a good read, though it lagged slightly in the middle. The characters are strong and vibrant. The plot is feasible with great twists. I give it 4 out of 5 stars, deducted one star because of the lag, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense.
My thanks to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
Alaska is calling me…
This romantic suspense series is set in beautiful Alaska and couldn’t wait to dive into Caradine and Isaac’s story! If you’ve read this series then you know all about the gruff and almost curmudgeonly. While never vicious, she had the perfect level of abruptness and sarcasm, zinging her barbs with great skill. Isaac was always there to catch those slings and never seemed to mind all that much. Diving into what was going on behind those stoic faces was everything I’d hoped for…
“She had no idea what to do with the opposite of an attack. She had no idea what do with family.”
There was no shortage of explosions, whether physical ones or within eye-opening conversations. Caradine had spent years trying to be aloof, not realizing she had been pulled into the Alaska Force family against her will. She may have gone kicking and screaming, and the fight wasn’t quite over. What she did come to realize was when her past found her, she was not alone…
There was an intensity to the story that shone in each page as the plot raced from one action-filled, often gut-wrenching, scene to another. It was easy to feel all the conflicting emotions between the main characters as they fought and argued from beginning to end. An ensemble cast reminded me why I enjoyed this series so much as humour, camaraderie and straight up testosterone meant I was hanging on every word…
*Reviewed for 1-Click Addict Support Group
**Thank you to NetGalley
Let me start out by stating that I am a fan of Megan Crane’s novels, and Delta Force Defender is
the fourth title in her Alaska Force series, but only the second title in the series I’ve had a chance to read, and while I absolutely loved the setting, the men and women of Alaska Force, especially the hero of this novel, Isaac Gentry, I had a really difficult time warming up to Caradine Scott, the heroine of this novel, which is why I can only, in good conscience, give this novel 4.5 stars, rather than the 5-star rating I would have given it had I ever come to actually like Caradine.
As usual, Ms. Crane captured my attention and interest from the very first page of the prologue, with 2 sisters, Julia and Lindsey, who are the much abused daughters of their sociopathic, criminal father, as they manage to be outside their home when an explosion blows the place to smithereens. This is their chance to finally free themselves of their violent family, but the question remains–did the blast kill everyone else? Not waiting around to find out, Julia and Lindsey run for their freedom.
As Chapter One opens, Isaac Gentry, leader of the Alaska Force, is awakened by a phone call, informing him that the Water’s Edge Cafe, in Grizzly Harbor, Alaska, his home town, which is owned and operated by Caradine Scott, is on fire after someone tossed a Molotov cocktail through the front window. Isaac, who has secretly been sleeping with the snide, sarcastic, prickly, and super-secretive Caradine, can’t get there fast enough, because he knows that Caradine lives upstairs, above the cafe.
Their relationship, if you can call it that, is strange. Neither character will admit to having feelings for the other, and while it’s clear that Isaac seems to want more than just sex out of their relationship, it’s clear that Caradine doesn’t. When it becomes apparent that Caradine got away from her burning building in time, it seems that she’s now on the run, with Isaac and his band of ex-military, ex-Special Ops men and women, are hot on her trail, with Isaac wondering why, in the past 5 years, she hasn’t ever opened up to him or anyone else in town, and wondering what she’s running from, what she’s hiding and why.
Prepare yourself for one heck of an exciting, non-stop, novel of tense romantic suspense, something Ms. Crane does so well. You’re going to encounter many mysteries along the way as prickly and snide Caradine, unwillingly accepts Isaac’s help as she tries to discover who tracked her down to Grizzly Harbor, how the mysterious “they” found her, and why they blew up her cafe. It becomes clear to Isaac and his men that Caradine Scott is an alias, and the mystery of what she’s hiding and why she’s running isn’t revealed immediately, and certainly not by her.
It was hard not to fall in love with Isaac Gentry, since he’s everything you want in a sexy, handsome hero. But sadly, I couldn’t for the life of me, figure out what he found so appealing in a woman like Caradine–cold (outside of bed), remote and secretive. While we get more of her story as the novel progresses, I kept hoping to see her soften up and open up to Isaac, who is doing the best he can to protect and defend her, all while she repeatedly lies to him, puts herself in ever more dangerous situations, repeatedly evades him, and ignores his attempts to help her. To say that I was angry with Caradine for almost the entire length of this novel is putting it mildly. I thought that Isaac deserved someone better, even as his own demons and fears were eventually revealed.
There’s plenty of danger, plenty of suspense, plenty of violence, plenty of sex, and plenty of secrets to be revealed in this exciting novel. Although this is the fourth novel in the series, it reads just fine as a standalone, and despite my personal issues with the heroine, it is nevertheless one exciting and addictive read.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Delta Force Defender
By: Megan Crane
REVIEW
Fourth in a series, but the first I’ve read, Megan Crane’s Delta Force Defender brings the action. From page one I was intrigued by the underlying mystery, but the story took a surprising turn after a shocking event. We pick up in Grizzly Harbor, Alaska some years later, and again, the action is non stop. Caradine is a woman living under a false identity, haunted by a tragic past, in this off the map town. Now, she is fleeing for her life. Issac, a potential love interest, gets a call and assembles his team. Believing Caradine to be dead, Issac is secretly devastated. Fortunately, he soon realizes Caradine is alive, but she is not the woman she appeared to be at all. Who is she, really? I love the fast pace and what’s waiting around the corner feeling of the story. There is a sense of urgency that drives the narrative and the characters. Caradine and Issac are a passionate couple. She is fiercely independent but drawn almost helplessly to Issac. He is an alpha male and longs to protect and possess Caradine. Now, she is on the run from her troubled past, and by his pursuit of Caradine, Issac is in danger as well. If they want to survive, Caradine must come clean about everything. Numerous twists and turns and wanting to know the answers kept me on the edge of my seat. I was rooting for Caradine and Issac all the way because I was truly invested in their outcomes. You’ll be hooked, trust me! Don’t miss this thrilling and propulsive mystery from Megan Crane!
4 1/2 STARS!
Secrets exposed! With book four in her Alaska Force series Megan Crane brought my favorite couple yet in DELTA FORCE DEFENDER. The tension is high from the very first page and setting off on adventure for answers really sets the stage for an action packed journey for Caradine and Isaac.
Caradine hates everybody … or so she wanted us to believe. She’s been living a gruff, in your face lifestyle in Grizzly Harbor, Alaska for five fun filled years now and it’s all of a sudden crumbling down around her.
Isaac plays the friendly boy next door persona to the town he grew up in, but behind the scenes is a takes no prisoner mercenary if the situation calls for it. He only has one weakness … and she’s hightailing it out of town letting him believe she’s dead!
I highly recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who loves a close knit group of military guys who band together when they leave the service to help those who need it as they slowly find their happily ever afters. The series is growing stronger and more fulfilling with each new book.
Delta Force Defender is a fast-paced romantic suspense set in beautiful Alaska, and to be honest, I think I loved the setting as much as the romance and the suspense. Megan Crane does an excellent job of transporting you to this small town in Alaska. The romantic couple was intriguing to say the least. Isaac and Caradine are both strong characters and with that comes a fair amount of butting heads, mostly because Caradine is indeed prickly, just like the blurb says. Granted, she has good reason to keep people at a distance, but it does become a bit much at times. Nevertheless, the story is a good blend of romance and suspense, and it comes together for a hard to put down book. This is the fourth in a series, but I had no problem following the story, so I would say it works well as a standalone. I will add that after meeting the characters in this one, I’ll be checking out the earlier books in the series.
When a casual relationship becomes a dangerous adventure!
Isaac and Caradine have a snarky, hate-to-love dynamic that is mostly fought out between the sheets. After five years of a seemingly normal frenemies-with-benefits arrangement, her past comes roaring through their small town, sending her on the run with him close behind.
It’s a good thing that the private security/special forces team he founded specializes in rescuing women from exactly this kind of situation. Or it would be, if Caradine would accept their help. What started to look like an unusual “captive narrative” morphed into a “family meeting” scene that cemented the assignment and was nearly heartbreaking in its honesty as Caradine struggled with feelings she’s buried for the past decade.
There’s plenty of action in this suspenseful romance, but the story never strays far from the core relationship that is steadily peeling back their layers and demanding that they both push past their comfort zones to admit that they desperately need what they fear the most.
Isaac and Caradine are intensely, intimately romantic, and I couldn’t get enough of them! Even though the story starts after the romance has begun, it still manages to encompass the entirety of their relationship and leaves no emotional stone unturned. There’s a bit of an extended “No! You can’t leave it like this!” section, but be assured, they do get their HEA in the end. It’s completely unlike any book I’ve read before, and I highly recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
I really enjoyed this story. I have been looking forward to Isaac’s book. The relationship between Caradene and Isaac is fascinating. Always looking over your shoulder for the next hit has to be exhausting. It’s great knowing Alaska Force has your back. Caradene and Isaac just seem to fit perfectly together.
Delta Force Defender by Megan Crane is the fourth book in her Alaska Force series. There’s plenty of action in this story. It is a fast-paced romantic suspense story. The storyline flows really well.
WOW!!! I thoroughly LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, Caradine Scott and Isaac Gentry’s amazing race for justice and love in Delta Force Defender by Megan Crane, book four in her Alaska Force series. This story had me on the edge, lost within, and not putting it down, as I drank in each page. Two extra strong characters, vowing to never let anyone close or to cede control to another person become involved in a relationship of love, desire, and fear.
Caradine barely escaped an explosion that killed most of her criminal family, changed her name as she sought a new life, determined to never let anyone get close to her. For the last few years she runs the Water’s Edge Café in a rugged little town on the edge of nowhere. After a career in the military, as a commanding officer he once was in the Marines and beyond. Isaac returned home to Grizzly Harbor where he created and commands Alaska Force; a group of former military personnel doing special ops, like they did when they were still in military. Isaac and Caradine have a love/hate relationship; which is a challenge neither can ignore. When Caradine’s old demons locate her, her cafe isn’t the only thing that blows up. Her past ends up pushing them together, and closer to accepting a future that’s been teasing them all this time. They just have to survive long enough to enjoy it.
Ms. Crane wrote an intense, emotional and exciting romantic suspense filled with sizzling chemistry, magnetism, wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters that is not to be missed. This story grabbed me and did not let go until I reached the end. I highly recommend Delta Force Defender and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
This is the 4th book in the series. Can be read as a stand alone. the main character has been the cook in all the books with a mafia background her and her sister have been in hiding after their home was bombed killing her family. She went to Alaska and her sister to Hawaii. Her past has come back to haunt her and her boyfriend who is Delta Force finds out who she really is and helps her to find out what is going on and who is trying to kill her. A really great story with plenty of action, twists and turns with a good romance. Kept me reading until I finished it to find out what happened.
4 stars
Caradine is a woman who should be dead after an explosion killed most of her family. She left that life behind, changed her name, and started over in Alaska. She runs a cafe and keeps everyone at a distance. When her place is set on fire, she runs knowing it’s someone from her past that wants her dead. Isaac is former Marine but now runs Alaska Force, a special ops company. Isaac and Caradine have had a sexual relationship but when he hears about her place, he heads straight to her. He finds her in Maine and becomes her protector whether she likes it or not. The only way to live a safe life, is to find out who’s out to kill her.
At first I felt like the story started somewhere in the middle and I missed the beginning but the more I read, the more interesting it became. A grouchy woman on the run and a man who doesn’t know how to do anything but fight. Suspense and sex.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for NetGalley *