A hunt for dangerous secrets leads to explosive chemistry in this exhilarating romantic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Going Dark.A team of Navy SEALs go on a mission and disappear without a trace–they are The Lost Platoon. Investigative reporter Brittany Blake may have stumbled upon the story of a lifetime in her search for her missing brother. When he seemingly … search for her missing brother. When he seemingly disappears overnight, she refuses to accept the Navy’s less-than-satisfying explanation. She begins her own investigation, which leads her to top-secret SEAL teams, covert ops, and a possible cover up…
John Donovan is having trouble biding his time, waiting for his Commanding Officer to figure out who set up their platoon. John’s best friend and BUD/S partner, Brandon Blake, was one of the many lives tragically lost in the attack against his team. When Brandon’s sister, Brittany, tracks John down, looking for answers, he realizes that she may be their best bet–or bait–for finding out who is targeting SEAL Team Nine.
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OFF THE GRID is the second instalment in Monica McCarty’s contemporary, adult THE LOST PLATOON romantic, military suspense series focusing on SEAL Team Nine whose members are MIA or dead following an unsanctioned and undercover mission to Russia. This is twenty-seven year old investigative reporter Brittany Blake, and twenty-nine year old Navy SEAL John Donovan’s story line. OFF THE GRID can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary although I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as there is an ongoing theme and premise throughout. There is also a developing story focusing on former husband and wife duo Colt Wesson, Team Nine’s former chief, and CIA agent Katherine ‘Kate’ Wesson.
Told from several third person perspectives including Brittany and John, and Colt and Kate, OFF THE GRID continues to follow in the aftermath of a mission that went horribly wrong, an unsanctioned mission to Russia and incident that could have easily sparked as US-Russian war. With only six survivors from their original fourteen, the remaining SEALs must remain ‘off the grid’ in order to survive. The US government claims no responsibility or knowledge therefore it is up to one of their own to search for the truth.
Former Navy SEAL John Donovan knows loss including the loss of his best friend, and fellow Team Nine SEAL Brandon Blake but coming face to face with Brandon’s sister Brittany, an investigative journalist hoping to prove a government cover-up in the death of her old brother and his team of Navy SEALs, finds John on the defensive as he must keep Brittany from her self-appointed task in order to protect the woman with whom he will fall in love, and the men with whom he has served. What ensues is the building relationship between John and Brittany-a second chance of sorts for our story line heroine, and the potential fall-out as Brittany is targeted by more than one source, in her journey to uncover the truth.
Brittany is hoping to write a tell-all expose on the military operation that took her brother’s life. A clandestine rendezvous nets our heroine some important information, information that is about to get our heroine killed. As John continues to warn Brittany away from her current path, her TSTL attitude places herself and John in the direct line of fire forcing John to work overtime in order to protect the woman with whom he will fall in love. John’s LC Lieutenant Commander Scott Taylor, fears the team has been set up to take the fall for an act of betrayal and revenge.
Meanwhile Team Nine’s former chief Colt Wesson is tasked with working alongside the woman he once loved. Burned by betrayal, Colt struggles to trust CIA agent Kate Wesson, a trust that was destroyed years before. As Kate and Colt begin to uncover a trail of Russian spies and US operatives in a government cover-up that could very well go to the very top.
OFF THE GRID is a story of danger, suspense, action, and the prideful determination of a journalist trying to prove she is more than just the sum of her past. Brittany’s inability to see beyond her own journalistic drive threatens the lives of the surviving Team Nine SEALs, as well as her own-in this I struggled to accept her desire for the truth. The premise is intriguing, frustrating and revealing; the romance is fated and provocative; the characters are numerous, colorful, animated and intense.
Brittany Blake, an investigative reporter, has made it a mission to find out what happened to her brother, Brandon, and his missing SEAL Team. They just disappeared and the military won’t even acknowledge they’re gone. Her newspaper articles are making lots of people uncomfortable, especially John (Dynomite) Donovan, Brandon’s best friend and member of his Team. John and other members of the Team that survived the blast in Siberia are in hiding, not wanting those that set up the Team to die to know they’re still alive until they can figure out who was behind the treachery. He’s dispatched to find Brittany and redirect her efforts, a woman with whom he has a past connection.
The story continues with John and others still trying to unearth clues to help them solve exactly what happened in Russia. I liked the use of flashbacks at important moments that gave more depth to the characters and intersecting relationships. The timing was spot on and I also liked that secondary characters had major roles. John and Brittany had a budding relationship five years ago that ended badly so their reunion wasn’t a joyous one but it was explosive. It developed quite nicely as they worked together.
While there were quite a few twists and revelations, the mystery of the Siberian blast is still unsolved but it’s clearer with some likely outcomes. I really enjoyed the narrator, Charles Lawrence, who handled the female roles very, very well. He’s also a good storyteller who made this a good reading experience. I’m enjoying the series and the next book is set up quite nicely.
This should have a male narrator. It just didn’t sound right with a female.
Monica McCarty comes roaring back with book two in the Lost Platoon series. Off the Grid is a quintessential romantic suspense book featuring a highly likable hero and a smart, self-reliant heroine who is investigating the mysterious death of her brother. Her well-meaning efforts to uncover his disappearance inadvertently puts the surviving squad, who are hiding while investigating the explosion that killed half their platoon, in jeopardy. John Donovan is assigned by his lieutenant to get her to stop digging. Brandon, Brittany’s brother, was John’s best friend. He resorts to questionable means to do so and ends up exploiting her long-standing crush on him. Her efforts also attract the attention of some unsavory folks involved in the original attack on the SEAL Team. John and Brittany’s efforts to outrun the villains provide fist-clenching tension that surely will appeal to any suspense fan.
My favorite part of the book, however, is the on-going storyline between Colt and Kate. I am partial to impossible relationships and I am really looking forward to seeing how Ms. Marty unravels the impossible knot of THIS relationship.
Danger. Intrigue. Suspense. ROMANCE! McCarty’s next Lost Platoon novel has all that and MORE! Brittany went in to investigative reporting for a reason, the death of her parents and the supposed cover-up of who killed them. Now the disappearance and hush-hush attitude about her SEAL brother weighs heavily in her mind. She knows she has to take any action to find out the truth.
John’s living a life of secrecy on Finland. One of six survivors from his platoon he’s got to keep his identity under wraps until their leader can suss out who tried to kill them…and why. It was going easy for a few months of numbinginly drinking and exploring the wilds. When his lost platoon brother’s sister begins sniffing around their disappearance he has to take extreme measures. But a contingency he hadn’t planned for soon bubbles up. Brittany’s grown into a striking woman and John may have finally found something that shakes his calm demeanor.
I’m categorizing this as a second chance romance. John knew Brittany five years before his platoon’s destruction. Back then she had been in a rough place with the supposed loss of her career and he found himself caring for her immediately. Now these two come face to face and battle it out as John fights to protect his secrets and Brittany fights for her family and the truth. McCarty does a fantastic job keeping action going on every page. Whether its investigating, running, or fighting these two are always up to something and I couldn’t put this book down!
I feel as if every action/suspense romance I pickup has the tendency to get redundant but I’m so glad the McCarty keeps it fresh and inventive as her world takes crazy twists and turns. I could very easily see this being made into a movie! There’s also a side story about Colt, Kate, and Taylor… OMG I was HOOKED on it and I can’t wait to find out what happens in the next book! Wonderful world building, powerful characters, and never a dull moment!