Falling in love can be a deadly proposition in this pulse-quickening Mission Recovery novel from the New York Times bestselling author.Jess Taylor and Derek Daley were in the throes of first love in a small Vermont town when they were kidnapped by a serial killer. They escaped his clutches—but not the trauma of the unsolved crime. With their lives changed forever and their romance cut short, they … romance cut short, they went their separate ways to exorcise their fears.
Jess is living on the edge as Hollywood’s hottest stuntwoman. It’s no longer terror thrumming through her veins. It’s adrenaline. Derek is a former Navy SEAL spinning his ordeals into heart-pounding bestselling thrillers. But when Jess is called home on a family emergency, she must face the past—and face the man she left behind, who is just as haunted and, like her, still so much in love.
Now, as an old flame reignites, Jess and Derek are taking advantage of second chances and putting their bad memories behind them. But here, in the quiet town of Taylorville, a killer is getting a second chance as well.
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There may be some triggers that some may find uncomfortable in this book: Rape, sexual assault, abduction, survivor guilt. However, this is an exceptionally well written story dealing with past traumas and highly worth sitting to read all in one go!
Jess loved Derek from afar when she was a teenaged. The eponymous boy next door, he finally notices her and on a date they are abducted. After a horrific 3 days Derek finally manages to get loose and rescues Jess. But with all she has been through Jess can’t unlink Derek from her nightmare and as soon as she can she leaves town, never to return.
Fast forward a few years and Derek has been invalided out from the Navy and Jess is now an in demand stuntwoman. But when she is forced to go home to look after her injured mother, Jess is forced to face her past and all that it dredges up. But when she becomes of aware of new abductions having taken place, Jess wonders if her nightmare is as over as she thought it was!
Jess and Derek both suffer from the torture they shared. Derek never feels that he did enough to save her and Jess refuses to be anyone’s victim again, but that also means never letting anyone into her tightly controlled world either.
Great mix of edge of your seat thriller romance and suspense. The secondary characters all have a purpose, some sadder than others and I loved trying to untangle the web the author wove!
Although this is the 2nd book in the series they are stand-alone and there is no crossover characters or storylines.
Threat Of Danger by Dana Marton is an amazing romantic suspense/second chance romance. Kudos to Ms. Marton for being able to actually raise the hair on the back of my neck while reading this book. Derek and Jess were captured in the woods. Derek was tied up and forced to witness Jess being raped and tortured. Years later stuntwoman Jess has to return to her hometown when her mother breaks her hip, where she can’t avoid thriller author Derek. Jess and Derek’s story is packed with action, suspense, humor, sizzle, drama and that little something that gives you chill bumps. I loved this book from cover to cover and look forward to my next book by Dana Marton. Threat Of Danger is book 2 of the Mission Recovery Series but can easily be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Just love the depth that Dana Marton brings to her characters, and really enjoy the thoroughness and realism she includes as far as careers and settings in this series! She must do a ton of research, and it shows! She doesn’t shy away from the past traumas and hard subjects, but the story is richer for it. Jess and Derek are strong characters with great dialogue–and there’s plenty of action in this story, too!
Oh my goodness, this was a really good and intense read. The torture aspect was scary, and the chase for the kidnapper/ murderer was gripping. I had two guesses as to the identity and I was right, so that is always fun. I recommend this to anyone who likes some thriller in their mystery.
Sarah Naughton was excellent as the narrator .
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Sarah –
4.5 stars
A second chance romance and a second encounter with a serial killer combine in a story set in a small town in Vermont. The result is alternately sweet and terrifying. It is an exciting read with well-developed characters and a beautiful sense of place.
After a terrifying incident in college, Jess made sure she would never again be a victim. Ten years later, she is a successful and fit stunt woman with a pretty scary skillset. Similarly determined to never let the past repeat itself, Derek became a Navy SEAL. But when Derek and Jess both return to their hometown, they realise that the past hasn’t finished with them.
I loved the contrasts in this book. I can’t think of anywhere more peaceful than Jess’ family’s maple syrup farm in rural Vermont. Tiny hints of the predator who was never found play out against Jess’ quiet family dramas. Similarly, Derek’s reclusive life as an author contrasts starkly with his experiences as a SEAL and the thrillers he writes. For most of the book, it is impossible to untangle Jess’ PTSD and paranoia from her current fears.
Jess and Derek are kinda perfect together. I love that the conflict between them is about the past events Jess still associates with Derek – leaving their relationship free from unnecessary angst. They feel like adults and they communicate like adults.
The thriller part of this book starts slow and explodes near the end. Parts of the story were crazy scary. I liked that I didn’t figure out the whodunnit until almost the end – and that there were clues that I missed along the way. I really enjoyed this book.
Mary Jo –
Triggers: Kidnapping, torture, rape
When the worst time of your life is coupled with what you hope to be the best night of your life and you survive, you tend to run as fast and as far as you can when you get away. That’s what happened to Derek and Jess.
They survived but it changed them. Some people believed they made up the entire thing, others believed them but were accusing all the same.
Jess begged her parents to sell the land and move, but they refused, so she left and never looked back. She never wanted the notoriety or the publicity and every time a story ran in the local paper about what happened, she turned inside herself a little more. She didn’t even return to town for her father’s funeral because of her fear of the local press.
Derek has lived with the guilt of not being able to save Jess from the torture and rape. Not only could he not stop it, he had to watch it. He was to live to tell everyone what had happened there, in that tiny camper. Except they got away.
Ten years later, she’s back because of her mother’s failing health and she really has no choice. Over the years, both she and Derek have matured but have never forgotten that fateful night that changed everything for them. Although they suspect the killer is still out there, they just don’t realize how close he really is.
A very good book that keeps you guessing until the very end.
Avid Reader –
M/F Thriller
Triggers: Kidnapping, torture, rape, stalking
Jess and Derek have a shared traumatic experience. They were just teenagers, but it left a mark on both of them so deep that they both had to get away. Jess ran as fast and as far as she could – despite her family choosing their business and their way of life, Jess knew that if she stayed, she’d forever be known as the victim. Derek ran, but in a much more “save the world” type manner. After joining the armed forces, he realizes that he is much better off writing and entertaining.
When Jess’ mom has a bad fall, she has no choice but to return to the town that is in each of her nightmares. However, once there, she realizes that she can fit in both worlds. Despite having a horrible experience in her young life, coming home does have a certain comfort.
Derek is trying to live his life, but when he realizes Jess is back, sees that there is still a major attraction there, he can’t help but see if he can rekindle what could have been. He is now a successful author and a part of Jess’ family, since she was gone so long.
These two dance around the mystery of their abduction and torture – is the killer truly out there? Will anyone believe them this time? Who else must go missing in order for their story to be taken seriously? Both Derek and Jess believe that their kidnapper is still at large, however, the evidence to support that is thin.
This story kept you guessing and didn’t disappoint. The secondary characters were also well developed and added a great depth to the story. I can’t wait for more.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Threat of Danger (Mission Recovery #2) by Dana Marton to read and review.
What a rush. This author gives us a story that is full of twist and turns and a navy seal. What more can a girl ask for. There are also a couple of steamy scenes but the best thing is the story. There is a high level of intensity as well as intrigue and suspense with a wonder twist. Her characters include strong females which is always a plus when there’s this kind of action. Jess finally comes home and while she has moved on the past still haunts her and then there’s Derek. He hadn’t gotten enough of her when everything went down the toilet and now he would make sure he kept her safe.
Derek is what we all want in a man and Jess is what we all want to be, strong, passionate, independent, loyal and loving. This author pours it all into these two. A couple you want to see succeed against all odds. Love this author’s style and her stories too.
Be very afraid! I was.
I’m still afraid.
The author brings us a story of romance, more than that, romantic suspense as taut as any I’ve read. Jess and Devon are both successful, both likable, courageous and both determined with a strength of character born of necessity.
As a teen, Jess lived next door to popular athlete Devon and she has had a crush on him for a very long time until finally, Devon noticed her and the circumstances of that evening would shape both of their lives forever. The events of the following days are tragic yet illustrate the resourcefulness of the human spirit. Family, both birth family and family of circumstances, play an important role that is integral to the story.
The imagery, the crows watching and waiting, creates an ominous tone which is well deserved. A group of crows is called a murder of crows; a fitting name. The crow is associated with the great mysteries of life and an omen of death. This is the setting for the first close encounter of Jess and Devon as well as for their re-acquaintance ten years later.
In the intervening ten years, Jess left her hometown and hasn’t returned. She hasn’t seen Devon and doesn’t want to see him. She can’t bear the thought of returning to her hometown. Devon, on the other hand, has been keeping up with Jess’s career as a stunt woman, through his time in the military and after his return home following capture and six months as a POW in Afganistan. Jess has barely left his mind.
Jess’s work as a stunt woman requires that she be fit, strong and have a sense of constant awareness. Never again will she be vulnerable. Devon has become a protector and he will not allow his loved ones to suffer harm. Evil is hiding in plain sight.
Holy smokes, this riveting romantic thriller won’t let you go until the very end and even then has a grip on your emotions. A stunning story!
Threat of Danger is book 2 in a series, Called MIssion Recovery. It can definitely be read as a stand a lone.. This is dark, suspenseful romantic second chance. There is an implied rape, torture, abuse but the strong independent women who comes out of this is a survivor. She is also a wildly successful stunt women.. When her mother is hospitalized she comes back home, back where it took place. Derek, who was with her on that fateful night became a Navy Seal. He was captured, wounded and is also back home. Explosive chemistry., painful memories to work through and another girl is missing! I wasn’t sure who the predator was till almost the end. This book is a true “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” story with suspense a HEA. and wonderful secondary characters; I would recommend this book to anyone who likes suspenseful thriller, romance, hot male and a strong independent women.
Dana Marton has written another spectacular book. Ten years after being kidnapped and tortured Jess returns to Taylorville to help her injured Mom. She comes face to face with Derek the boy who was kidnapped with her and wasn’t able to protect her. They have to deal with their failings while a new threat endangers them.
I am loving this series! This is one of my favorite tropes mixed with another; second chance romance and romantic suspense; just sucks me right in. This is such a good story that will have you shaking in your boots one minute and laughing the next all while keeping it real. Loved Jess & Derek and the second chance they get! These are wonderful, well developed characters that make you want to go on their journey with them. Female lead is so strong! Love that! I am really looking forward to Book 3.
What a book. This is book #2 in the Mission Recovery series. It is a standalone. So not too worry about reading the first one. I would for sure.
Jess comes home to Vermont after her mom is hurt. It’s very hard after everything that’s happened to her. She can’t foget. When she sees Derek again all those memories, and feelings resurface.
She’s a brave stuntwomen and can handle anything. Well this will be a test for sure.
Derek is a former Navy SEAL, and writer who writes thriller. When he sees Jess after all these years is a shock to his system. He knows why she’s returned home. He never meant to hurt her they were just teenagers. He blames himself for the terrible situation they were in. Now he will stop at nothing to protect her. But will it be to late for him to win her back?
Wait and see.
A thriller like no other. You won’t be able to put it down. Ms Marton is amazing.
Stunt woman Jess Taylor returns home to Vermont to see her mother, desperately not wanting to be there and remember all she tried to forget. Yet, how could she when she learns high school boyfriend is back too – resulting in the memories flooding back, the kidnapping; torture, and above all the feelings for Derek, attraction she thought were gone.
Derek Daley, former Navy Seal knows their kidnapper is still alive and is doing his best to prove it when another murder takes place. With danger for not only Jess, but those they love at stake, they both try to find him before he strikes again.
Dana Marton has written a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
THREAT OF DANGER by Dana Marton Mission.Recovery 2
Jess was a stuntwoman , liked being invisible, good at her job. A text, from her Mom, in Taylorville, a place of nightmares for her, yet, she was needed.
Nothing had changed, till panic set in seeing Derek, ten years, and part of her worst nightmare. Would she be rejected. Or could she conquer the fear. Was the madman still out there, waiting since she did live. Tense, gripping plot, of letting go of a horrible past, of dark memories. Was it possible to rebuild a life, instead of always being invisible. Dana has once again given readers a story that compels us to read to the end.
Given ARC by Net Galley and Montlake Publisher for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.
4.25 stars– THREAT OF DANGER is the second instalment in Dana Marton’s contemporary, adult MISSION RECOVERY romantic, suspense series. This is former Navy SEAL and best selling crime author Derek Daley, and Hollywood stunt woman Jess Taylor’s story line. THREAT OF DANGER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information form the previous story line is revealed where necessary.
NOTE: Due to the story line content there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from several third person points of view including Derek and Jess, THREAT OF DANGER follows the rekindling friendship and romance between former Navy SEAL and best selling crime author Derek Daley, and Hollywood stunt woman Jess Taylor. Ten years earlier, home from college for summer break, Derek and Jess were about to embark on a long-awaited romance when a serial killer kidnapped and tortured our leading couple. Barely escaping with their lives, Jess and Derek became the focus of rumor and innuendo, paparazzi and national news, so much so that our heroine moved across country in search of peace and quiet. Fast forward to present day wherein Jess will have to return to her home town to help her ailing mother and the family own maple sugar business, a town she had hoped to forget with all of her heart. Coming face to face with the man she silently blames for three days of torture and rape Jess is unable to forgive or accept Derek, a man just as innocent and damaged as she. When another local high school girl goes missing, crime novelist Derek Daley begins to piece together a similar profile of missing girls going back ten years, to the present. What ensues is the rebuilding romance and friendship between Derek and Jess, and the fall-out as Jess is once again targeted by a sick and twisted mind- a man everyone believed to be dead and gone.
THREAT OF DANGER covers but a few weeks in the life of Derek Daley and Jess Taylor but weeks packed with betrayal, grief, illness and loss. Jess must return to the small Vermont town when her aging mother falls and requires months of hospital and home care but a small town that comes with remembrances of a time where innocence was lost. Too many bad memories as well as the usual town gossip find our heroine struggling to leave behind her life in Hollywood, and a man she was hoping to call her own. Derek Daley is a crime writer who writes what he knows best-truth life crime and none more so than the events of his past. Never thinking to reconnect with the woman he once loved Derek will have to face the wrath that is Jess Taylor, and all of her glorious anger and refusal to accept Derek and the love he has to offer.
The relationship between Jess and Derek is a second chance romance but a romance that struggles with the horrors of the past, and Jess’ inability to let go. Derek has never forgotten about the woman that stole his heart; and Jess wants to forget about everything that reminds her of a time long ago. The $ex scenes are passionate but mostly implied, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic, language and text.
The large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters include close and extended family, friends, law enforcement and newspaper reporters. The world building brings the reader up close and personal with an horrific crime against our leading couple, and the on-going struggles to make sense of it all.
THREAT OF DANGER is a character driven, startling and thrilling story line of romance, mystery and suspense. The premise is sensational, spirited and dramatic; the characters are dynamic and intense; the romance is tender and consuming. THREAT OF DANGER is an impassioned, inventive and intelligent tale from the pen of Dana Marton.
Threat of Danger is a fast paced thrill ride that captivated me from the beginning and kept me flipping pages. I liked the significance of Jess and Derek’s chosen professions as they tried to overcome the horrific events of their past and find the serial killer that was lurking. I loved Jess and Derek’s second chance love story, and I look forward to Dana Marton’s next release. She is one of my favorite authors!
I voluntarily read & reviewed a complimentary Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley.
Book 2 of Ms Marton’s series, Mission Recovery, is a stand alone book .
The main characters are Jess Taylor and Derek Daley. Ten years ago they were kidnapped and had a horrific experience. Both left town and went their separate ways. One became a stuntwoman, and the other a Navy SEAL and currently a bestseller author.
They are back in town for different reasons and their first meeting is one filled with mixed feelings .
It’s a story filled with mystery, edge of your seat moments and second chances. It’s also a story on how our past experiences, mold our present. At times heartbreaking but also heartwarming.
Another engaging story with complex characters by this talented author.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
I think this may be the best book by this author yet! The mystery was quite intriguing and realistic woven into a great plot. The characters were strong, vulnerable, funny and interesting with a strong development that included strong female characters. It’s great to see female character emerge as a strong character rather than some weak-kneed waif who needs to be rescued or written as a damsel in distress. I can not wait to see what the next book in this series brings! You definitely do not have to read the entire series to enjoy this book, but I will say that you would be missing out as this is an excellent series with strong, well developed characters.
A prologue that leaves you with fearful apprehension. The unease you feel as you wait for the author to fully explain what happened ten years ago to the main characters. And as the story moves forward, you felt the sense of foreboding again knowing the unseen danger was coming back to finish what was started all those years ago.
Exciting is one of the words to describe this book. There is intrigue, drama, heartbreak and romance and a large dose of evil. This is an excellent read and now ties my other favorite Dana Marton book “Girl in the Water”. I guessed who the bad guy was about half way into the story, but was not absolutely sure until the end. There is a disturbing quality to the story that makes this a truly excellent read. On an other note “stuntwomany” is my favorite word. Excellent read.
**I received a copy of Threat of Danger from Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review**
Threat of Danger by Dana Marton is the second book in her Mission Recovery series. Each book is a stand alone so it doesn’t need to be read in order. This book will however really have you thinking not only for the heroine’s kidnapping and assault but also that she wasn’t able to get the authorities to believe her or her then boyfriend how scary is that? I give the book 4.6 stars as it was very realistic.
Jess Taylor is a stunt woman on movie sets but when she receives a call that her mother is in the hospital with a fractured hip she does the one thing that she doesn’t want to do return back to Taylorville, Vermont. Even though it was 10 years ago the memories are still with her of her kidnapping and rape. But her family needs her to help with the maple harvest as well as help with her mother. Little does she know that her high school boyfriend has returned also Derek Daley or that the masked man has returned to kidnap and kill the young girls again. Can she and Derek escape him again when he comes for one of Jess’s family?
Derek Taylor is now a mystery writer as well as a former Navy SEAL but his one regret will always be what happened her Jess Taylor 10 years ago. But he’s in the middle of a new book and also trying to help out Rose Taylor, her foreman and best friend. When Jess returns home to help with the maple syrup harvest and her mother but can he keep his research and book from her without causing her pain? Because he knows the same man is still hurting teenage girls in town and this time he wants to finally catch him not only for Jess but himself.