His name means hunter. Once the best assassin in black ops, Cazador is now the best at saving lives. His path has changed from seeking bloody vengeance to running a health clinic in Rescue, Alaska.He will never again risk loving someone he can’t protect.His mother and sister were murdered in front of him, his fiancée slaughtered in a war zone. Despite his popularity with women, he’s determined … zone. Despite his popularity with women, he’s determined to remain unattached. His heart can bear no more loss.
Unfortunately, the universe isn’t listening.
First, his brother hires JJ, a fiery-haired, tough cop who lives on the edge of danger and has the biggest heart of anyone he knows. And then, his disreputable past returns in the shape of an adorable, foul-mouthed nine-year-old daughter. Now he has two loved ones to protect. An impossible task, because…
Life is dangerous. Especially in Alaska.
Ms. Sinclair is a comfort read for me. She knows how to give me heroes who can take charge but in that protective, not possessive way that I love and heroines who may suffer but have that inner strength that makes them survivors.
~ After Dark Booklovers
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Reading this book you experience such a wide range of emotions. The depth and intensity are strong in this one.
Along with the emotionally intense story is such realistic descriptions of the Alaskan landscapes and both the beauty and the danger of living in a small town.
At this moment I want to say I think this is the best book Cherise has written. Of course that may change with the next book but for right now I loved every aspect of this book.
Loved the characters. This book starts off a little slow but it didn’t take long before I couldn’t put it down. Cherise has a knack for writing characters I can care about, she doesn’t pad her books with fluff; she does a good job giving you a picture of the scenery without getting into landscape porn. This series is tamer then her usual though, just sayin. To me, Sinclair’s book are a just buy it.
Lethal Balance
Sons of the Survivalist #2
by Cherise Sinclair
Narrated by Gunnar Qualen and Jenna St Claire
I know when I start a Cherise Sinclair book, I am in for a treat. No matter the trope, she writes a smart story I can get lost in. This Sons of the Survivalist series is fast becoming a favorite, with wonderful heroes, incredible scenery and a suspense filled story that holds me til the very end. This is book two and it features the tortured soul of Cazador. He is taken in after the death of his death of his mom and is raised with his brothers. He is “doc”, though a nurse and is known as quite a player, never giving up his heart. When JJ comes to town, she is faced with all the stereotypical reactions when people find out she is a cop. But proving herself has never been hard. The immediate chemistry between Caz and JJ is palpable. Neither is looking for a relationship though. When a surprise comes to Caz though, the relationship blossoms, not only romantically, but these two become close friends. And when tragedy strikes, nothing will stop the two from saving their new found love. Sinclair’s vision of Alaska is so crisp and clear, it feels like I am there. It’s such a fantastic setting for this series, and I am loving it. Caz is a complex man, so many facets to him, and as we peel away his layers, it’s impossible not to love him. JJ is a tough cookie, lover her tenacity and her loyalty. And all the others included in this story round out a cast of characters, some to love and some to hate! It’s fun getting to know this community and fall in love each time!
Gunnar Qualen and Jenna St Claire bring this gem to life. Each voice has a quality that sets the characters apart. Fantastic accents, and emotional inflections make the story real. And I have to point out the wonderful child voice St Claire brings out too! It’s a listen you surely do not want to miss.
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I loved getting a deeper look at the brothers,their personalities, their upbringing, their dynamic within the family. It was fun to watch Caz crash and burn the first time, and if we thought him falling for a woman was going to be fun to read, him finding out he was a father was icing on the cake. The Casanova turned family man is definitely swoon-worthy. That’s not to say that there aren’t bumps in the road, some from his own family, but theirs is a story filled with action, suspense, attitude, conflict and resolution.
I wonder if we’ll get Bull or Hawk next?
Love is always the answer
I loved this story about a woman running from so much bad and finding so much good. A man who’s not interested in finding love but love finds him anyway.
No unnecessary descriptions of surroundings
Good dialogues that’s meaningful and helps the story forward
The author has created a world that’s intriguing to step in to and I can’t wait for Hawk and Bull’s stories.
Sizzling love building between JJ and Cazador and be prepared to cry a little.
As always this author doesn’t let me down and I enjoyed the story so much. Read it, I know you won’t regret it!!!!
5 stars!
Things I loved about this book – EVERYTHING! Things I didn’t love about this book, absolutely nothing! Caz and JJ had a beautiful slow burn, that started with a spark, and was tempered by reason. The more they got to know each other, the more the spark grew. Past experiences had taught them both, rather harshly, to be cautious, wary, and to avoid at all costs. They stick true to their credo until they bend it a bit here, a little there, and while still in denial, become fully involved and invested in the other. Caz is the one who realizes his rules, shaped by his past, aren’t applicable. JJ’s rules are based in her current reality, but she realizes what she has to do for her. Steamy, sexy, emotional, and compelling, this book had me up WAY past my bedtime to finish it, because I could not set it down!
As much as I was happy with Not a Hero (Sons of the Survivalist Book 1), I thoroughly enjoyed this novel which delved deeper into the storyline of four foster brothers raised by a psychologically damaged veteran who raised them totally off the grid in South-Central Alaska (more inland from Seward in the Kenai Peninsula). This time, it’s Cazador’s turn to find romance and companionship.
Cazador’s definition of companionship was one-night stands and nothing more. And he’s very open and honest to his conquests of the night at the very forefront of any encounter. Definitely no repeats. Except it would make one wonder exactly how long that would last in the small mountain community of Rescue, Alaska, a community he vowed his now deceased foster father to protect and resurrect. Not that he’s killing people anymore. He’s now a nurse practitioner, sworn to heal people rather than hurt them.
And he would have been happy with just that except in walked in JJ, a newly hired law enforcement officer meant to replace Officer Baumer (see Book One) who was still smarting from a terrible job experience in Nevada, including being purposely ignored when urgent backup was requested. She inwardly agreed that no man should to be so devilishly handsome as Caz, and despite her inner voice’s warning to avoid him at all costs, the two invariably found themselves encountering each other. Gabe, the chief of police, had already warned Caz to keep away from her as he didn’t want to lose what could be a valuable asset to the police department, especially as she had been the victim of professional assassination in the recent past. And Gabe was already familiar with Caz’s reputation of “love ‘em and leave ‘em before the morn”. But nothing became routine.
Enter a daughter Caz didn’t even knew existed.
And there was no way he could convince himself she was not his daughter with just one glance.
What could a former assassin do? Especially with his history of protecting his own? That’s when life got interesting.
Length and pace: Full-length novel. Pace is balanced without feeling rushed or slowed. This book cannot be read by itself. Best to read Book One first and go from there.
Characters: Again, I appreciate Ms. Sinclair’s efforts to continue to flesh out these four foster brothers, allowing us to see further into their psyches. I also appreciate how many of the loose strings from Book One continue in Book Two. Also, we still see characters introduced in Book One and get to understand them a little more, too. I really can get into all these characters, including the minor ones who only add further enrichment to the storyline. This is definitely a carefully managed juggling performance of eight balls (I’ve actually seen this done!) with maybe a chainsaw or two involved. Again, this is something I rarely see anymore because most writers, perhaps, think readers care not to read giant book arcs anymore. Pity. I thought I really liked Gabe in Book One, yet I found Caz to be a far more compelling hero in this novel. Yes, one can have been a taker of lives and now become a savior of lives. (Perhaps a radical karmic debt life cycle of sorts, but it is possible. Definitely a means to combat the damage done considering Caz’s past history of losing loved ones via violence.) I also liked how Sinclair developed JJ, a very strong heroine cut to the bone by an ex-boyfriend-on-the-force who humiliated her on social media (where nothing ever is forgotten be it true or not) as well as bullied her on and off-duty to the point that she could have died in the line of duty. Not to say that this level of sexual harassment hadn’t occurred before to other women in that police department in which JJ was the token female during her time there.
Hero/heroine interaction: I was very pleased how Ms. Sinclair addressed how a male and female alphas would interact with each other. I know how hard it can be when the two are in the same profession. (Why did everyone think that I, being a physician, would marry another physician? We would forever be bonking heads against each other!) It still comes down to the question on what kind of male would be the best for a female law enforcement officer who is used to taking care of herself and not tolerating being told to be the relenting submissive in a relationship? You have to be a very self-assured, a very confident alpha male to be a successful partner to JJ. In other words, an author’s nightmare. There were times I wondered if JJ’s shame of allowing herself to be a victim was an authentic weakness or maybe the adherence to an overused plot template.
World-creation: Again, Sinclair certainly continues to elaborate and consolidate the true character(s) of Rescue, Alaska. Gah! I could have sworn I’ve seen this region on my way to Anchorage just outside of Cooper Landing. (However, Sinclair does indicate that Rescue isn’t Cooper Landing, but I know I’ve seen that ski resort nearby…) Having lived in this area of the Kenai Peninsula, I could imagine how critical I was preparing to be, however, I found that Sinclair’s representation of Rescue was very believable. (However, I must say that there were more than a few times that my suspension of disbelief was thrown off for reasons I’m still trying to figure out. Maybe it was how some things were described or discussed that wouldn’t had been how it would really have happened in Alaska… Like diction or syntax that just wasn’t… quite… right… But I’m really splitting hairs here…) I’m assuming that in this particular world, Sterling doesn’t exist because it is a fairly decent-sized community between Cooper Landing and Soldotna. They do have a few physician friends of mine there but no hospital. I had to laugh when the novel mentioned one of my favorite outfitters — Sweeney’s — but wondered why Fred Meyer’s wasn’t when clearly they went there buying too much stuff for Regan’s bedroom and bathroom. (Freddie’s would never pass up on free advertising!) All in all, I was quite impressed.
Continuity and editing: Editing was better than I expected, but this book could have been stellar had there been a real editor present to just do a decent clean-up job, but that is my usual whine about virtually all indie books (unfortunately). As mentioned before, there was more than a few times my suspension of disbelief was tested, usually parts in which a real Alaskan would have stated something differently. I know I’m being really picky, but after living all over that state, you can really know where you are by how the local residents talk. (Just like in the Lower Forty-Eight.) Continuity was very good. The POVs did ramble around more so in this book than in most books, but the POVs did remain true to the characters’ recollections which did impress me. Continuity can definitely be shot in the foot when a writer isn’t careful in his/her wordcrafting. Personally, I doubt I could have improved on the matter as it is better to have the least number of POV changes per chapter. Good thing we, the audience, received sufficient hints to keep us from being confused. The jury is still out on Regan’s character. I know she is quite a precocious child, considering her life before and after Caz’s taking custody of her, but I think it’ll take another book for me to determine if her actions and statements is actually that of a nine-year-old. I do find having extra “uncles” around to be very appropriate as it does take a village to raise a child, especially Regan. I found Caz’s fathering skills and advice to be highly effective. (Parents: Take notes!) But in retrospect, could he actually be that ingenious in his parenting skills? I mean, other than his foster father Mako, he really didn’t have much in male role models to fashion his own sensibilities at such a logical level.
I truly enjoyed reading this book and have plans to reread both Books One and Two in the near future. I’m sure I’ll catch many more interesting tidbits that will further illuminate these complicated and varied plots and subplots. I just hope I won’t be waiting another year for the next installment.
Oh wow! Great read with a single dad and a cop who is full of heart, heat, and stubbornness that doesn’t let up! This book had all the feels that Cherise Sinclair is known for in her new Alaska wilderness series and boy did this book keep me entranced! I loved the strength shown throughout not only with the main characters but also some fantastic secondary characters.
Hot men in a cold climate! Curl up with this steamy page-turner! Cherise Sinclair does a brilliant job of developing these believable characters.
Can’t go wrong with any of Sinclair’s books. What a wonderful writer!
In Lethal Balance Cherise Sinclair tackles some tough societal issues facing us today; bullying, bigotry, and discrimination. She also takes on small town gossip and the hurt it causes. The characters in this romance, Jj & Caz, have been shaped by their pasts and are subjected to the aforementioned issues in their current lives. As with most of Cherise’s characters, they are multilayered, deeply emotional, intelligent and strong. Together they make a formidable team once they give into their attraction. I would be remiss if I did not mention Regan, a nine year old crusader in her own right who does not tolerate bullies and stands up for those who cannot defend themselves. She added another dimension to an already enjoyable reading experience.
Loved it!
Cherise Sinclair swept me away on a tidal wave of heat, feels, intensity and a stunning environment that left me once again, breathless!
Lethal Balance was exactly the kind of story I can expect to get from Miss Sinclair. Powerful with deep emotions and a strong hero who oozes sexuality and dominance and who cares for those close to him as well as a heroine who is equally as tough, beautiful, sweet and has incredible smarts. The story itself is intriguing and the chemistry between Caz and JJ left me with a curling of warmth in my stomach and had me craving that desire that I could easily feel coming straight off the pages! The landscape of Alaska never ceases to stun and amaze me too. The way everything is describes, I almost feel like I am RIGHT THERE living and seeing everything the characters do. Its impressive and awe-inspiring. Caz’s story is EVERYTHING and a WHOLE LOT MORE!
Lethal Balance gets a BREATHTAKING FIVE HEAT FILLED STARS!