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Fire #3
Wildfire
Her power-hungry husband takes pleasure in her pain, but she’s done playing the victim.
Three years ago, ex-operative Sophie Jordan made the mistake of falling in love—and marrying—her target. Now she’s paying for it tenfold. Her husband might be one of the sexiest men alive, but he’s also a psychopath. She’s been a virtual prisoner, and the time has come for retribution—and escape.
Undercover agent Malcolm Gunnison has his get intel from Sophie’s arms-dealer husband, then kill him. He plans to get rid of her, too, if she gets in his way, but he’s unprepared when she gets under his skin instead. Whose side is she on? And what is she hiding behind those mesmerizing eyes?
Sophie vowed to never fall for another man again, but this sexy undercover agent is different. With danger mounting, can Malcolm and Sophie trust each other—and their growing passion—enough to get out of this operation alive?
Three years ago, ex-operative Sophie Jordan made the mistake of falling in love—and marrying—her target. Now she’s paying for it tenfold. Her husband might be one of the sexiest men alive, but he’s also a psychopath. She’s been a virtual prisoner, and the time has come for retribution—and escape.
Undercover agent Malcolm Gunnison has his get intel from Sophie’s arms-dealer husband, then kill him. He plans to get rid of her, too, if she gets in his way, but he’s unprepared when she gets under his skin instead. Whose side is she on? And what is she hiding behind those mesmerizing eyes?
Sophie vowed to never fall for another man again, but this sexy undercover agent is different. With danger mounting, can Malcolm and Sophie trust each other—and their growing passion—enough to get out of this operation alive?
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2017
About the author
Anne Stuart
204 books2,037 followersAnne Stuart is a grandmaster of the genre, winner of Romance Writers of America's prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, survivor of more than thirty-five years in the romance business, and still just keeps getting better.
Her first novel was Barrett's Hill, a gothic romance published by Ballantine in 1974 when Anne had just turned 25. Since then she's written more gothics, regencies, romantic suspense, romantic adventure, series romance, suspense, historical romance, paranormal and mainstream contemporary romance for publishers such as Doubleday, Harlequin, Silhouette, Avon, Zebra, St. Martins Press, Berkley, Dell, Pocket Books and Fawcett.
She’s won numerous awards, appeared on most bestseller lists, and speaks all over the country. Her general outrageousness has gotten her on Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Vogue, People, USA Today, Women’s Day and countless other national newspapers and magazines.
When she’s not traveling, she’s at home in Northern Vermont with her luscious husband of thirty-six years, an empty nest, three cats, four sewing machines, and one Springer Spaniel, and when she’s not working she’s watching movies, listening to rock and roll (preferably Japanese) and spending far too much time quilting.
Anne Stuart also writes as Kristina Douglas.
Her first novel was Barrett's Hill, a gothic romance published by Ballantine in 1974 when Anne had just turned 25. Since then she's written more gothics, regencies, romantic suspense, romantic adventure, series romance, suspense, historical romance, paranormal and mainstream contemporary romance for publishers such as Doubleday, Harlequin, Silhouette, Avon, Zebra, St. Martins Press, Berkley, Dell, Pocket Books and Fawcett.
She’s won numerous awards, appeared on most bestseller lists, and speaks all over the country. Her general outrageousness has gotten her on Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Vogue, People, USA Today, Women’s Day and countless other national newspapers and magazines.
When she’s not traveling, she’s at home in Northern Vermont with her luscious husband of thirty-six years, an empty nest, three cats, four sewing machines, and one Springer Spaniel, and when she’s not working she’s watching movies, listening to rock and roll (preferably Japanese) and spending far too much time quilting.
Anne Stuart also writes as Kristina Douglas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
March 4, 2017
Wild Fire is the 3rd book in Ann Stuart's Fire Series (which is a spin-off from her Ice Series)
To be honest, this series has been a bit of a letdown - the Ice was such an amazing series and I was expecting the spin-off to be just as good.....but it isn't.
The story revolves around a young Committee (that very secret spy company!!!) who goes rogue on her first mission....yes, the poor girl falls in love with the bad guy, who she was suppose to kill off but instead marries him. She should have been wiser because her now very bad husband has done some really bad things to her!!
I liked the premise of the story and I was looking forward to an exciting and fast moving plot...but oh no!!!! For the first 100 pages or more, it was more than something like this.........
I did like the main characters...Sophie was quite a pleasant surprise! And Malcolm..wow, Anne Stuart sure knows how to write hot and sexy alpha males!!
So, I liked Wild Fire...........just didn't love it!!!
My reviews on the 2 series:
Ice Series
Book 1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Book 2: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Book 3: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Book 4: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Book 5: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Book 6: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Fire Series
Book 1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Book 2: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
To be honest, this series has been a bit of a letdown - the Ice was such an amazing series and I was expecting the spin-off to be just as good.....but it isn't.
The story revolves around a young Committee (that very secret spy company!!!) who goes rogue on her first mission....yes, the poor girl falls in love with the bad guy, who she was suppose to kill off but instead marries him. She should have been wiser because her now very bad husband has done some really bad things to her!!
I liked the premise of the story and I was looking forward to an exciting and fast moving plot...but oh no!!!! For the first 100 pages or more, it was more than something like this.........
Thing speeded up in the last part of the book....but at times I had a bit of "roll my eyes" moments....
............. these spies sure do the most unbelievable things ever!!!!
I did like the main characters...Sophie was quite a pleasant surprise! And Malcolm..wow, Anne Stuart sure knows how to write hot and sexy alpha males!!
So, I liked Wild Fire...........just didn't love it!!!
My reviews on the 2 series:
Ice Series
Book 1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Book 2: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Book 3: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Book 4: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Book 5: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Book 6: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Fire Series
Book 1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Book 2: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
February 7, 2017
So the gist of this third book in the Fire series is a sort of damsel in distress scenario. Only the damsel used to be a Committee member, and she screwed them over by falling in love with her mark. Naturally, this makes Malcolm, the newest Committee member sent to take care of the problem, a little suspicious of her. The catch? Sophie's husband also found out about her affiliations, and had her shot. Only the shot didn't kill her. It only paralyzed her. Now Sophie is wounded, pissed, and betrayed.
"Oh what tangled webs we weave..."
The entirety of the story takes place on a remote island, so there isn't a lot of movement. I think what kept me from loving this book as much as I tend to to love Stuart's other reads is how much internal dialogue there is, coupled with the slow moving plot. However, I loved Malcolm (as per usual) and Sophie was definitely a strong heroine once I let go of the stupidity of her initial decisions that got her into this mess. The sexual tension is pretty intense, because the build up is long, and because Stuart excels in that area. You're sitting there waiting for the top of your head to blow off in anticipation of some action.
If you're a lover of Anne Stuart, you can sink into the slower moving storyline. I love this world. I love these heroes. As always, I'm already anticipating her next thrilling installment...or, let's be real...her next delicious gamma hero.
Advance copy provided by Montlake Romance
"Oh what tangled webs we weave..."
The entirety of the story takes place on a remote island, so there isn't a lot of movement. I think what kept me from loving this book as much as I tend to to love Stuart's other reads is how much internal dialogue there is, coupled with the slow moving plot. However, I loved Malcolm (as per usual) and Sophie was definitely a strong heroine once I let go of the stupidity of her initial decisions that got her into this mess. The sexual tension is pretty intense, because the build up is long, and because Stuart excels in that area. You're sitting there waiting for the top of your head to blow off in anticipation of some action.
If you're a lover of Anne Stuart, you can sink into the slower moving storyline. I love this world. I love these heroes. As always, I'm already anticipating her next thrilling installment...or, let's be real...her next delicious gamma hero.
Advance copy provided by Montlake Romance
July 11, 2017
Sophie's first mistake was falling in love and marrying the man she was targeting. That was 3 years ago. Two years ago, he hired someone to kill her. The bullet close to the spine left her paralyzed .. at least that is what her husband thinks.
She's spent a lot of time learning to first move her legs, then walk. Considering she's been a prisoner in a wheelchair in her room, that's been quite remarkable, especially as there are cameras and recorders in her bedroom. Her husband is a psychopath and he takes much pleasure in her pain. But the time has come when she's planning to leave ... even if she has to kill him to do it.
Malcolm Gunnison is undercover... working for the same covert organization as Sophie once did. His orders are to get information from Sophie's arms-dealer husband. It is his decision on what to do with Sophie.
But Malcolm is unprepared for his attraction to Sophie, especially as he doesn't know if he can trust her. And Sophie knows this is a dangerous man ... but can she trust him to help her leave her husband?
As Romantic Suspense goes, this is a winner. There's tons of action and excitement. There's also a lot of explicit sexual moments, as well as language. This is definitely not a book for youngsters. Sophie and Malcolm make a good pair .. they're both very strong characters who fight their attraction with everything they have.
This is the third in a series, however, it does well as a stand-alone. Each book in the series have different characters, so no cliff hangers to deal with.
Many thanks to the author / Montlake Romance / Netgalley for the digital copy of WILDFIRE. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
She's spent a lot of time learning to first move her legs, then walk. Considering she's been a prisoner in a wheelchair in her room, that's been quite remarkable, especially as there are cameras and recorders in her bedroom. Her husband is a psychopath and he takes much pleasure in her pain. But the time has come when she's planning to leave ... even if she has to kill him to do it.
Malcolm Gunnison is undercover... working for the same covert organization as Sophie once did. His orders are to get information from Sophie's arms-dealer husband. It is his decision on what to do with Sophie.
But Malcolm is unprepared for his attraction to Sophie, especially as he doesn't know if he can trust her. And Sophie knows this is a dangerous man ... but can she trust him to help her leave her husband?
As Romantic Suspense goes, this is a winner. There's tons of action and excitement. There's also a lot of explicit sexual moments, as well as language. This is definitely not a book for youngsters. Sophie and Malcolm make a good pair .. they're both very strong characters who fight their attraction with everything they have.
This is the third in a series, however, it does well as a stand-alone. Each book in the series have different characters, so no cliff hangers to deal with.
Many thanks to the author / Montlake Romance / Netgalley for the digital copy of WILDFIRE. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Read
March 6, 2017are all this time and all these books the Committee is STILL the best group of antiheroes and badasses in romantic suspense. the bestest
March 10, 2017
3.5 Anti-Hero Stars!
Sophie is a prisoner on her husband's private island. She’s an ex-operative for the Committee, and made the mistake of falling in love with her target Archer and marrying him. Archer eventually found out about her ties to “The Committee”, and had her shot, but, the shot didn't kill her, only paralyzed her. Now Sophie is confined to a wheelchair, angry, and want’s revenge all the while being subjected to Archer’s physical abuse, emotional abuse, and mind games.
The Committee has now sent another agent, Malcolm (Mal), to finish the job that Sophie failed. Mal and Sophie become reluctant allies against Archer while both fight the instant connection between the them. While Mal plays his own mind games with both Archer and Sophie, much to his dismay, he cannot deny the mutual attraction and protective instincts he has towards Sophie.
Mal was most definitely an anti-hero but he lacked the edginess, and coldness we normally see in an Anne Stuart hero. Don’t get me wrong, yes, he was ruthless just not as ruthless I’ve come to expect from AS (anti) hero. All-in-all this was a decent read, but, I didn’t love it as much as loved many of her other books.
* ARC kindly provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sophie is a prisoner on her husband's private island. She’s an ex-operative for the Committee, and made the mistake of falling in love with her target Archer and marrying him. Archer eventually found out about her ties to “The Committee”, and had her shot, but, the shot didn't kill her, only paralyzed her. Now Sophie is confined to a wheelchair, angry, and want’s revenge all the while being subjected to Archer’s physical abuse, emotional abuse, and mind games.
The Committee has now sent another agent, Malcolm (Mal), to finish the job that Sophie failed. Mal and Sophie become reluctant allies against Archer while both fight the instant connection between the them. While Mal plays his own mind games with both Archer and Sophie, much to his dismay, he cannot deny the mutual attraction and protective instincts he has towards Sophie.
Mal was most definitely an anti-hero but he lacked the edginess, and coldness we normally see in an Anne Stuart hero. Don’t get me wrong, yes, he was ruthless just not as ruthless I’ve come to expect from AS (anti) hero. All-in-all this was a decent read, but, I didn’t love it as much as loved many of her other books.
* ARC kindly provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2017
Okay, this book kind of disappoints me. I expect Ms Stuart would deliver a fast-paced action, suspense and a classic Stuart’s hero character, which often make up for any shortcomings in the romance or annoying heroine. Instead, the story just gets stuck in a cycle of repetitive internal dialogues. On the positive note, some fun exchanges between H, h, and Peter ( from Ice #2) lighten up the last few pages quite a bit.
~arc provided by Netgalley
~arc provided by Netgalley
February 10, 2017
The queen of 'Kiss or Kill' Romantic Suspense...
Sophie Jordan had been a former CIA agent who joined ‘The Committee’ as an operative. She was well-trained, beautiful…and on her very first op made the mistake of falling in love and marrying Archer, her mark. Learning too late what a psychotically evil man he really was, she has been trapped for the last three years as a crippled captive on his island fortress.
Deep undercover Committee agent Malcolm Gunnison has come to the island in a covert operation as a middle-man in the buy of a biological weapon. He is to obtain the weapon in any way necessary, kill Archer…and if necessary, Sophie. What he doesn’t expect to find is a woman and trained operative who has put her mistakes behind her, and has every intention of killing her husband and making her escape from her island prison. They are thrown together - first as adversaries, and then unlikely allies with a common goal; and each with more than a little distrust of the other.
I enjoyed this one, with just a couple of caveats. One is that I never understood how a trained operative like Sophie could have fallen for Archer in the first place, much less bail on the op she was assigned to. The other issue I had was the amount of time the plot was revealed to the reader in the thoughts of the character, especially in the early portion of the book. I understand that each of the three main protagonists had motives and actions that were cross with the other two and had to be put forward by way of their thoughts; but I didn’t always enjoy the amount of time spent in a given character’s head.
If you love Anne Stuart’s bad, bad, boys; you will really enjoy this story. The “Fire” series is a continuation of the author’s excellent “Ice” series; with ‘The Committee’ in the new American location of New Orleans. For anyone not familiar with Stuart’s gamma heroes, these are not hearts-and-flowers Romantic Suspense books. These men are ruthless operatives, sometimes killers, and not always the good guys. Think James Bond with a darker edge and little conscience.
As for me, I love them…
Sophie Jordan had been a former CIA agent who joined ‘The Committee’ as an operative. She was well-trained, beautiful…and on her very first op made the mistake of falling in love and marrying Archer, her mark. Learning too late what a psychotically evil man he really was, she has been trapped for the last three years as a crippled captive on his island fortress.
Deep undercover Committee agent Malcolm Gunnison has come to the island in a covert operation as a middle-man in the buy of a biological weapon. He is to obtain the weapon in any way necessary, kill Archer…and if necessary, Sophie. What he doesn’t expect to find is a woman and trained operative who has put her mistakes behind her, and has every intention of killing her husband and making her escape from her island prison. They are thrown together - first as adversaries, and then unlikely allies with a common goal; and each with more than a little distrust of the other.
I enjoyed this one, with just a couple of caveats. One is that I never understood how a trained operative like Sophie could have fallen for Archer in the first place, much less bail on the op she was assigned to. The other issue I had was the amount of time the plot was revealed to the reader in the thoughts of the character, especially in the early portion of the book. I understand that each of the three main protagonists had motives and actions that were cross with the other two and had to be put forward by way of their thoughts; but I didn’t always enjoy the amount of time spent in a given character’s head.
If you love Anne Stuart’s bad, bad, boys; you will really enjoy this story. The “Fire” series is a continuation of the author’s excellent “Ice” series; with ‘The Committee’ in the new American location of New Orleans. For anyone not familiar with Stuart’s gamma heroes, these are not hearts-and-flowers Romantic Suspense books. These men are ruthless operatives, sometimes killers, and not always the good guys. Think James Bond with a darker edge and little conscience.
As for me, I love them…
February 7, 2017
3.5 Liked it but did Love it stars.
This is another book for my ‘liked it but didn’t love it” shelf.
This is only my 3rd book by Anne Stewart. Actually the only books I have read by her are those in this series. I LOVED book #1 Consumed by Fire. For me in that one the H and h worked perfectly. Their relationship was volatile and intense yet they couldn’t get enough of each other.
In this one, it took longer for me to accept Sophie and Malcolm as a couple. Having hot sex is one thing, which these two had, but evolving to a ‘can’t live without you’ relationship is another thing. I needed them together a bit more. And a little more suspense in the plot would have made a difference too.
The one thing that is consistent in this series is the type of hero’s that she writes. Malcolm was a class A prick and sexy as sin. What an asshole he could be and that is the one thing I LOVED about the book.
If you have read the other books in this series I think you should read this one too. Malcolm is worth meeting. If you haven’t started the series then definitely check out Consumed by Fire.
I’ll leave you with a visual of Malcolm! :)
This is another book for my ‘liked it but didn’t love it” shelf.
This is only my 3rd book by Anne Stewart. Actually the only books I have read by her are those in this series. I LOVED book #1 Consumed by Fire. For me in that one the H and h worked perfectly. Their relationship was volatile and intense yet they couldn’t get enough of each other.
In this one, it took longer for me to accept Sophie and Malcolm as a couple. Having hot sex is one thing, which these two had, but evolving to a ‘can’t live without you’ relationship is another thing. I needed them together a bit more. And a little more suspense in the plot would have made a difference too.
The one thing that is consistent in this series is the type of hero’s that she writes. Malcolm was a class A prick and sexy as sin. What an asshole he could be and that is the one thing I LOVED about the book.
If you have read the other books in this series I think you should read this one too. Malcolm is worth meeting. If you haven’t started the series then definitely check out Consumed by Fire.
I’ll leave you with a visual of Malcolm! :)
February 23, 2017
I've given this a B- at AAR, so that's 3.5 stars rounded up.
Any long-time romance reader probably has a favourite type of hero. Protective alphas, arrogant arseholes, smooth spies and men of action… and then there are Anne Stuart heroes, who, as anyone familiar with her work will know, are a mixture of all the above with the aresholery often dialled up to the max. But you know what? They’re my blind spot. They’re so full of testosterone, over-the-top masculine and fiercely protective of their women (albeit not quite at caveman levels) that they’re almost caricatures… but I still don’t care – I love ‘em.
The big saving grace is probably that your Anne Stuart alpha-hole hero isn’t a Neanderthal. He’s highly-intelligent, well-educated, frighteningly competent, seriously hot – and ultimately redeemable. Yes, any sane woman would probably run a mile in the opposite direction if she met one, but fortunately, this is highly stylised fiction, and Ms. Stuart always manages to redeem these ruthless men admirably. But I can accept that her particular brand of gamma hero is an acquired taste, and if those types of characters aren’t for you, then I’m not likely to persuade you otherwise.
But for those of us who do drink this particular brand of Kool-Aid, Malcolm Gunnison, the hero of Wildfire – the third in the author’s current Fire series – is another in a long line of those guilty-pleasure heroes we love to hate. Mal is sent by the Committee – a covert, international organization that paid no attention to legal or moral implications in its quest to make the world a safer place – to the Caribbean island of Isla Mordita to meet with Archer MacDonald, international arms and drug dealer, and the man behind the development of a new biological agent, RU48 (also known as Pixiedust!) which is unlike any chemical weapon previously developed. Mal’s cover as an ex-Committee agent now acting as the middle-man for a potential buyer works perfectly to convince Archer that he’s dealing with a man every bit as dangerous as himself.
Mal’s job is to find out everything he can about the weapon, kill Archer and get out – and it’s up to him whether he gets the man’s wife out with him or leaves her there. A former CIA and State Department agent, Sophie Jordan was in the early stages of her Committee training when she was made part of a team sent to undertake surveillance on Archer and made the mistake of falling in love with and marrying him – only to discover, too late, that the man was a ruthless psychopath. When Archer discovered she had been a Committee agent, he ordered her murder. Sophie narrowly escaped death, but the bullet damaged her spine and for the past two years, she has been confined to a wheelchair, a literal prisoner on the island subject to the not so tender mercies of her husband, who takes delight in playing psychological games, and abusing her both emotionally and physically. But a year ago, she began to regain the use of her legs, and without anyone knowing, has been building her strength and training for the day when she will kill Archer and get the hell outta Dodge.
You can read the rest of this review at All About Romance .
Any long-time romance reader probably has a favourite type of hero. Protective alphas, arrogant arseholes, smooth spies and men of action… and then there are Anne Stuart heroes, who, as anyone familiar with her work will know, are a mixture of all the above with the aresholery often dialled up to the max. But you know what? They’re my blind spot. They’re so full of testosterone, over-the-top masculine and fiercely protective of their women (albeit not quite at caveman levels) that they’re almost caricatures… but I still don’t care – I love ‘em.
The big saving grace is probably that your Anne Stuart alpha-hole hero isn’t a Neanderthal. He’s highly-intelligent, well-educated, frighteningly competent, seriously hot – and ultimately redeemable. Yes, any sane woman would probably run a mile in the opposite direction if she met one, but fortunately, this is highly stylised fiction, and Ms. Stuart always manages to redeem these ruthless men admirably. But I can accept that her particular brand of gamma hero is an acquired taste, and if those types of characters aren’t for you, then I’m not likely to persuade you otherwise.
But for those of us who do drink this particular brand of Kool-Aid, Malcolm Gunnison, the hero of Wildfire – the third in the author’s current Fire series – is another in a long line of those guilty-pleasure heroes we love to hate. Mal is sent by the Committee – a covert, international organization that paid no attention to legal or moral implications in its quest to make the world a safer place – to the Caribbean island of Isla Mordita to meet with Archer MacDonald, international arms and drug dealer, and the man behind the development of a new biological agent, RU48 (also known as Pixiedust!) which is unlike any chemical weapon previously developed. Mal’s cover as an ex-Committee agent now acting as the middle-man for a potential buyer works perfectly to convince Archer that he’s dealing with a man every bit as dangerous as himself.
Mal’s job is to find out everything he can about the weapon, kill Archer and get out – and it’s up to him whether he gets the man’s wife out with him or leaves her there. A former CIA and State Department agent, Sophie Jordan was in the early stages of her Committee training when she was made part of a team sent to undertake surveillance on Archer and made the mistake of falling in love with and marrying him – only to discover, too late, that the man was a ruthless psychopath. When Archer discovered she had been a Committee agent, he ordered her murder. Sophie narrowly escaped death, but the bullet damaged her spine and for the past two years, she has been confined to a wheelchair, a literal prisoner on the island subject to the not so tender mercies of her husband, who takes delight in playing psychological games, and abusing her both emotionally and physically. But a year ago, she began to regain the use of her legs, and without anyone knowing, has been building her strength and training for the day when she will kill Archer and get the hell outta Dodge.
You can read the rest of this review at All About Romance .
April 20, 2024
Review from 2017
I've given this a B for narration and B- for content at AudioGals.
Wildfire is the third in Anne Stuart’s current Fire series of romantic suspense novels which have kind of picked up where the Ice series left off and in which The Committee – the super-secret agency which acts to wipe out the bad guys and keep the world safe by any means necessary – is now working out of its new branch in the US.
Sophie Jordan, former CIA and State Department operative, joined the Committee a few years previously and was sent on a fairly routine surveillance mission while still undergoing her training. The subject of this mission was one Archer MacDonald, a ruthless, megalomaniac arms dealer who also happened to be one of the most gorgeous men on the planet. Against every instinct and every aspect of her training, Sophie fell for Archer and married him, so blinded by love that she didn’t discover his true nature until some months after the wedding. Three years on, Sophie has spent most of that time as a prisoner on an island off the coast of Florida that Archer owns – Isla Mordita – two of those years confined to her bed and a wheelchair following an “accident” which saw her shot in the back.
It’s taken all that time for the Committee to work up another “in” with Archer so that Sophie’s original mission – to kill him – can be completed. British operative Malcolm Gunnison has now been assigned that task, and posing as the middle man for a potential buyer of Archer’s latest project, a powerful chemical agent (RU48), he arrives on Isla Mordita with instructions to get as much information on RU48 as he can – including the identity of the manufacturer – kill Archer and get off the island. Whether he kills Archer’s traitorous wife or saves her life is completely up to him.
When Mal arrives on the island he is surprised to discover that Sophie is confined to a wheelchair. At first he sees a gullible woman who is obviously besotted by the handsome husband who seems intent on belittling her, but Mal quickly realises that Sophie’s clever mask hides a woman who is anything but love-struck and is clearly hiding her true feelings. He is also the only person to discover the other thing Sophie has been careful to hide – that she has regained the use of her legs and has spent the last year and more secretly regaining her strength and fitness while plotting to kill Archer and make her escape.
In the meantime, though, she has to bide her time and grit her teeth to endure Archer’s cutting words and fleeting gestures of affection, all of which are designed to humiliate her in front of their guest. Over the past couple of years, Archer has taken delight in rubbing Sophie’s disability in her face by bringing a succession of good-looking young men to the island to try to provoke a reaction from her, but she has felt not the smallest interest in any of them and thinks that probably her libido has gone in to hibernation – perhaps is even dead. But her first sight of her husband’s newest associate hits her like a punch to the gut; Malcolm Gunnison might not be a pretty boy, but he’s sexy as hell and she’s never felt so strongly physically attracted to anyone, not even Archer. But he’s obviously just as much of a cold, calculating, manipulative bastard as her husband and she’s not going to allow an inconvenient infatuation to distract her from her purpose.
Ms. Stuart is a master of the genre, so it will come as no surprise when I say that the plot is full of twists and turns and that she really knows how to ratchet up the tension to nail-biting effect. The central characters are engaged in a high-stakes, potentially deadly game of cat-and-mouse with Mal and Archer circling around and assessing each other while trying to get the upper hand, at the same time as Mal and Sophie are doing the same, trying to work out whether they can trust one another and simultaneously fighting the powerful attraction that electrifies the air between them.
I did enjoy the story, because I’m an Anne Stuart junkie and am addicted to her particular brand of romantic suspense, but I do have a few niggles that affected my final grade. The sexual tension between Mal and Sophie is intense and the sex scenes are nice and steamy, but while I completely bought into their lust for each other, it was more difficult to believe there was much of a romance going on that they were falling in love. Theirs is a love/hate relationship for most of the book, with Sophie, in particular, fighting her attraction to Mal at almost every turn, often in over-long passages of internal monologue which cause some parts of the book to drag a little. It’s also rather difficult to swallow that such a hard-nosed, competent operative as Sophie must have been (and we’re told she was) could have ignored everything she had learned about Archer during her training and turned her back on her colleagues, her job and her life in order to marry him. Some explanation is offered; Sophie’s training wasn’t complete and she’d been sent into a situation that she wasn’t equipped to handle, but it doesn’t quite ring true.
I recently listened to Jill Redfield narrating the first book in this series, Consumed by Fire , and enjoyed her performance very much; I concur completely with BJ’s assessment of its being worthy of an A grade. Ms. Redfield’s performance here is equally accomplished in terms of the pacing – which is suitably edgy in the suspenseful moments and slower in the more intimate ones – character differentiation and acting choices, but I noticed something here I didn’t notice before, which is that she has a tendency to breathe in odd places. I haven’t listened to her enough times to be able to determine whether this is a one-off, and it certainly doesn’t seem to be down to poor lung capacity (!) or breathing techniques, because she doesn’t do it all the time. But she will sometimes begin a sentence or phrase, say two or three words, take a breath, and then continue. So a basic sentence such as:
When you were a prisoner in an armed fortress, silence was your friend.
Sounds like this:
When you were a prisoner (breath) in an armed fortress (quieter breath), silence was your friend.
And later in the same chapter, this:
She finished up her workout, going through her cool-down stretches, shoved her sweat-damp hair away from her face, and silently opened (breath) the door to her bedroom.
It’s a long sentence, true, but there are plenty of commas in there where taking a breath would be acceptable, so I couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t taken advantage of one of those more natural breathing places instead.
With that said, I don’t normally gets bent out of shape over audible breath sounds, as I find that they often add to the realism of the performance (and if I don’t hear them, I find myself holding my breath waiting for the narrator to breathe!) – but I do dislike them when they’re in the wrong place. And once you notice something like that, it becomes inevitable that you start actually listening for it, which can become distracting. It probably doesn’t help that whereas Consumed by Fire is quite dialogue heavy, Wildfire is the opposite, so there are long passages of narrative and character introspection where such things become more noticeable than they might be otherwise.
But with all that said, those issues don’t cast a pall over the whole performance, which hits all the right emotional notes and delivers exactly the right amount of tension. Ms. Redfield acquits herself well when it comes to Mal’s English accent (there are a few slips here and there but it’s generally solid), and I do like the way she voices the heroes in this series as a whole; pitching them low, with a soft, husky tone that never lets us forget how dangerous they are.
I've given this a B for narration and B- for content at AudioGals.
Wildfire is the third in Anne Stuart’s current Fire series of romantic suspense novels which have kind of picked up where the Ice series left off and in which The Committee – the super-secret agency which acts to wipe out the bad guys and keep the world safe by any means necessary – is now working out of its new branch in the US.
Sophie Jordan, former CIA and State Department operative, joined the Committee a few years previously and was sent on a fairly routine surveillance mission while still undergoing her training. The subject of this mission was one Archer MacDonald, a ruthless, megalomaniac arms dealer who also happened to be one of the most gorgeous men on the planet. Against every instinct and every aspect of her training, Sophie fell for Archer and married him, so blinded by love that she didn’t discover his true nature until some months after the wedding. Three years on, Sophie has spent most of that time as a prisoner on an island off the coast of Florida that Archer owns – Isla Mordita – two of those years confined to her bed and a wheelchair following an “accident” which saw her shot in the back.
It’s taken all that time for the Committee to work up another “in” with Archer so that Sophie’s original mission – to kill him – can be completed. British operative Malcolm Gunnison has now been assigned that task, and posing as the middle man for a potential buyer of Archer’s latest project, a powerful chemical agent (RU48), he arrives on Isla Mordita with instructions to get as much information on RU48 as he can – including the identity of the manufacturer – kill Archer and get off the island. Whether he kills Archer’s traitorous wife or saves her life is completely up to him.
When Mal arrives on the island he is surprised to discover that Sophie is confined to a wheelchair. At first he sees a gullible woman who is obviously besotted by the handsome husband who seems intent on belittling her, but Mal quickly realises that Sophie’s clever mask hides a woman who is anything but love-struck and is clearly hiding her true feelings. He is also the only person to discover the other thing Sophie has been careful to hide – that she has regained the use of her legs and has spent the last year and more secretly regaining her strength and fitness while plotting to kill Archer and make her escape.
In the meantime, though, she has to bide her time and grit her teeth to endure Archer’s cutting words and fleeting gestures of affection, all of which are designed to humiliate her in front of their guest. Over the past couple of years, Archer has taken delight in rubbing Sophie’s disability in her face by bringing a succession of good-looking young men to the island to try to provoke a reaction from her, but she has felt not the smallest interest in any of them and thinks that probably her libido has gone in to hibernation – perhaps is even dead. But her first sight of her husband’s newest associate hits her like a punch to the gut; Malcolm Gunnison might not be a pretty boy, but he’s sexy as hell and she’s never felt so strongly physically attracted to anyone, not even Archer. But he’s obviously just as much of a cold, calculating, manipulative bastard as her husband and she’s not going to allow an inconvenient infatuation to distract her from her purpose.
Ms. Stuart is a master of the genre, so it will come as no surprise when I say that the plot is full of twists and turns and that she really knows how to ratchet up the tension to nail-biting effect. The central characters are engaged in a high-stakes, potentially deadly game of cat-and-mouse with Mal and Archer circling around and assessing each other while trying to get the upper hand, at the same time as Mal and Sophie are doing the same, trying to work out whether they can trust one another and simultaneously fighting the powerful attraction that electrifies the air between them.
I did enjoy the story, because I’m an Anne Stuart junkie and am addicted to her particular brand of romantic suspense, but I do have a few niggles that affected my final grade. The sexual tension between Mal and Sophie is intense and the sex scenes are nice and steamy, but while I completely bought into their lust for each other, it was more difficult to believe there was much of a romance going on that they were falling in love. Theirs is a love/hate relationship for most of the book, with Sophie, in particular, fighting her attraction to Mal at almost every turn, often in over-long passages of internal monologue which cause some parts of the book to drag a little. It’s also rather difficult to swallow that such a hard-nosed, competent operative as Sophie must have been (and we’re told she was) could have ignored everything she had learned about Archer during her training and turned her back on her colleagues, her job and her life in order to marry him. Some explanation is offered; Sophie’s training wasn’t complete and she’d been sent into a situation that she wasn’t equipped to handle, but it doesn’t quite ring true.
I recently listened to Jill Redfield narrating the first book in this series, Consumed by Fire , and enjoyed her performance very much; I concur completely with BJ’s assessment of its being worthy of an A grade. Ms. Redfield’s performance here is equally accomplished in terms of the pacing – which is suitably edgy in the suspenseful moments and slower in the more intimate ones – character differentiation and acting choices, but I noticed something here I didn’t notice before, which is that she has a tendency to breathe in odd places. I haven’t listened to her enough times to be able to determine whether this is a one-off, and it certainly doesn’t seem to be down to poor lung capacity (!) or breathing techniques, because she doesn’t do it all the time. But she will sometimes begin a sentence or phrase, say two or three words, take a breath, and then continue. So a basic sentence such as:
When you were a prisoner in an armed fortress, silence was your friend.
Sounds like this:
When you were a prisoner (breath) in an armed fortress (quieter breath), silence was your friend.
And later in the same chapter, this:
She finished up her workout, going through her cool-down stretches, shoved her sweat-damp hair away from her face, and silently opened (breath) the door to her bedroom.
It’s a long sentence, true, but there are plenty of commas in there where taking a breath would be acceptable, so I couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t taken advantage of one of those more natural breathing places instead.
With that said, I don’t normally gets bent out of shape over audible breath sounds, as I find that they often add to the realism of the performance (and if I don’t hear them, I find myself holding my breath waiting for the narrator to breathe!) – but I do dislike them when they’re in the wrong place. And once you notice something like that, it becomes inevitable that you start actually listening for it, which can become distracting. It probably doesn’t help that whereas Consumed by Fire is quite dialogue heavy, Wildfire is the opposite, so there are long passages of narrative and character introspection where such things become more noticeable than they might be otherwise.
But with all that said, those issues don’t cast a pall over the whole performance, which hits all the right emotional notes and delivers exactly the right amount of tension. Ms. Redfield acquits herself well when it comes to Mal’s English accent (there are a few slips here and there but it’s generally solid), and I do like the way she voices the heroes in this series as a whole; pitching them low, with a soft, husky tone that never lets us forget how dangerous they are.
February 14, 2017
Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.
I love a good anti-hero and Anne Stuart can write the very best. Her secret agents are right up there with the very suave, very deadly James Bond, except here we get the bonus of a watching a stone cold killer fall for his true love and a HEA. Sadly, this book lives in its' own head for way to much of the story. The characters spend way to much time rehashing and thinking and not nearly enough time doing.
Malcolm Gunnison is an operative for the very secretive Committee and his mission is to get a dangerous new bioweapon before it can be sold. He also is tasked with killing the baddie brokering the deal. Not part of his mission is falling in love, especially not with a traitor.
Archer MacDonald is scary smart, with an ego to match. He has made billions off the suffering in the world and his latest prize, Pixiedust, is just another weapon to be sold and profited from. He is a psychopath with no feelings, not even for his crippled wife.
Three years ago, Sophie Jordan MacDonald was a new operative for the Committee. Her assignment was to kill Archer MacDonald. Instead, she fell in love with him and married him. Big, almost deadly, mistake. She has spent every covert minute since then regaining the use of her legs, her strength and plotting a way to finish her mission and escape his island.
Sophie's fate is up to Mal, he can decide to kill her or save her. Falling for her was not in the mission statement, but, well, these things just sorta happen. When Archer orders him to have sex with his wife, Mal knows that he can surely take one for the mission, except his feelings are so far out of mission parameters that all he wants to do is kill Archer and get Sophie off the island.
I love a good anti-hero and Anne Stuart can write the very best. Her secret agents are right up there with the very suave, very deadly James Bond, except here we get the bonus of a watching a stone cold killer fall for his true love and a HEA. Sadly, this book lives in its' own head for way to much of the story. The characters spend way to much time rehashing and thinking and not nearly enough time doing.
Malcolm Gunnison is an operative for the very secretive Committee and his mission is to get a dangerous new bioweapon before it can be sold. He also is tasked with killing the baddie brokering the deal. Not part of his mission is falling in love, especially not with a traitor.
Archer MacDonald is scary smart, with an ego to match. He has made billions off the suffering in the world and his latest prize, Pixiedust, is just another weapon to be sold and profited from. He is a psychopath with no feelings, not even for his crippled wife.
Three years ago, Sophie Jordan MacDonald was a new operative for the Committee. Her assignment was to kill Archer MacDonald. Instead, she fell in love with him and married him. Big, almost deadly, mistake. She has spent every covert minute since then regaining the use of her legs, her strength and plotting a way to finish her mission and escape his island.
Sophie's fate is up to Mal, he can decide to kill her or save her. Falling for her was not in the mission statement, but, well, these things just sorta happen. When Archer orders him to have sex with his wife, Mal knows that he can surely take one for the mission, except his feelings are so far out of mission parameters that all he wants to do is kill Archer and get Sophie off the island.
November 17, 2018
❤️❤️½
This book was so disappointing. It looked like it would be good since books 1& 2 were really good but this one fell super flat.
Sophie was a Committee operative tasked with taking out insane billionaire business man Archer but she fell in love him instead and refused to kill. Archer repairs her devotion by marrying her first and then having his henchmen shot her in the back causing paralysis in Sophia lower extremities.
The Committee abandoned Sophia for her betrayal and for the next two years, Sophie was abused by Archer because of His hatred for the Committee and also for disabled people.
Sophia’s resolved to get revenge and slowly she got feeling back into her legs and learned to walk in secret.
Now, the Committee sent Malcolm to complete the assignment that Sophia didn’t but they neglected to tell Malcolm that Sophia was paralyzed. The woman in the wheelchair Malcolm met doesn’t mesh with the person that the Committee described. So of course Malcolm, who initially loathed Sophia, began developing feelings for the operative was going to dispose of at the end of his assignment (she was a loose end). This began the push and pull of their attraction.
I never really grasped the hatred Archer had for Sophia. I also didn’t respect the Committee for how they treated their own. Malcolm was a jerk but I guess I understand that he viewed Sophie as a traitor.
The audiobook was boring and their connection didn’t quite feel passionate enough to me. I wanted more of an emotional bond and I certainly wanted Malcolm to have to win Sophia at the end which he didn’t even try. I didn’t like him not even trying
This book was so disappointing. It looked like it would be good since books 1& 2 were really good but this one fell super flat.
Sophie was a Committee operative tasked with taking out insane billionaire business man Archer but she fell in love him instead and refused to kill. Archer repairs her devotion by marrying her first and then having his henchmen shot her in the back causing paralysis in Sophia lower extremities.
The Committee abandoned Sophia for her betrayal and for the next two years, Sophie was abused by Archer because of His hatred for the Committee and also for disabled people.
Sophia’s resolved to get revenge and slowly she got feeling back into her legs and learned to walk in secret.
Now, the Committee sent Malcolm to complete the assignment that Sophia didn’t but they neglected to tell Malcolm that Sophia was paralyzed. The woman in the wheelchair Malcolm met doesn’t mesh with the person that the Committee described. So of course Malcolm, who initially loathed Sophia, began developing feelings for the operative was going to dispose of at the end of his assignment (she was a loose end). This began the push and pull of their attraction.
I never really grasped the hatred Archer had for Sophia. I also didn’t respect the Committee for how they treated their own. Malcolm was a jerk but I guess I understand that he viewed Sophie as a traitor.
The audiobook was boring and their connection didn’t quite feel passionate enough to me. I wanted more of an emotional bond and I certainly wanted Malcolm to have to win Sophia at the end which he didn’t even try. I didn’t like him not even trying
February 7, 2017
3.5 STARS
I enjoyed it, but I didn't really care for the storyline as much as the first two books in the series. I like Anne Stuart's characters, but I find she repeats herself a bit. And she also has a tendency to slip into the highly unfeasible a bit too often. But she sure writes great sex scenes. And her sexy as fuck male heroes will always keep me coming back. I'm sure I'll be right at the front of the line picking up the next book in the series.
I enjoyed it, but I didn't really care for the storyline as much as the first two books in the series. I like Anne Stuart's characters, but I find she repeats herself a bit. And she also has a tendency to slip into the highly unfeasible a bit too often. But she sure writes great sex scenes. And her sexy as fuck male heroes will always keep me coming back. I'm sure I'll be right at the front of the line picking up the next book in the series.
July 31, 2017
3.5 Stars -- This one's a little slow, but it leads to a very satisfying ending. It's also worth noting that Malcolm Gunnison isn't Stuart's typical alpha hero. He's not quite as assholey as the rest of them. :)
February 16, 2017
Wildfire is the 3rd book in the explosive Fire series, a spin-off from the delectable Ice series by Anne Stuart. Readable as a standalone, Wildfire tells the story of the Committee operative Sophie Jordan MacDonald who had made the blunder of falling for the charm that her target had exuded in spades, and marrying the monster with whom she had suffered for the past 3 years. Knowing that no one from her former life as an operative would be coming to rescue her as she had bungled up the mission in a major way, Sophie is counting the days until she can escape, that is until Malcolm Gunnison walks into her life and throws everything into a spin.
Malcolm’s mission is one that is straightforward. But the minute Malcolm crosses paths with his target’s wife, the whole operation changes its focus. Malcolm who is not given to feelings of the tender kind finds himself strangely fascinated by a woman he knows he should be able to walk away from. The fact that Sophie’s husband outlines his plans when it comes to her does not help matters. In fact, it pushes Malcolm and Sophie together in a way that makes the sparks literally fly.
Though Wildfire would not be my favorite book in the series thus far, it still carries the trademark Anne Stuart style in delivering a story that heats up and delivers from the onset. The one thing that irked me was the continued references towards how Sophie had been a rookie who should not have been sent into the mission that had changed her life so drastically. The repetitiveness of that particular statement almost throughout the book was a bit off putting to say the least.
Nevertheless, with Malcolm, Anne Stuart once again presents her readers with a hero as ruthless and delicious as they come. There is no turning away from the mastery he wields in the bedroom – well the bedroom comes later, but hey, you get what I mean. If you have ever read an Anne Stuart book, it is how she delivers bad boys of the kind that makes you want that keeps you coming back for more. That and the wit and charm she puts so effortlessly into her books. And she does not disappoint when it comes to Wildfire.
I loved Sophie as well. Her vulnerability and her strength was a combination that made me fall and root for her. The ending when it came was classic Anne Stuart as well. I couldn’t have asked for more!
Rating = 4/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit www.maldivianbookreviewer.com
Malcolm’s mission is one that is straightforward. But the minute Malcolm crosses paths with his target’s wife, the whole operation changes its focus. Malcolm who is not given to feelings of the tender kind finds himself strangely fascinated by a woman he knows he should be able to walk away from. The fact that Sophie’s husband outlines his plans when it comes to her does not help matters. In fact, it pushes Malcolm and Sophie together in a way that makes the sparks literally fly.
Though Wildfire would not be my favorite book in the series thus far, it still carries the trademark Anne Stuart style in delivering a story that heats up and delivers from the onset. The one thing that irked me was the continued references towards how Sophie had been a rookie who should not have been sent into the mission that had changed her life so drastically. The repetitiveness of that particular statement almost throughout the book was a bit off putting to say the least.
Nevertheless, with Malcolm, Anne Stuart once again presents her readers with a hero as ruthless and delicious as they come. There is no turning away from the mastery he wields in the bedroom – well the bedroom comes later, but hey, you get what I mean. If you have ever read an Anne Stuart book, it is how she delivers bad boys of the kind that makes you want that keeps you coming back for more. That and the wit and charm she puts so effortlessly into her books. And she does not disappoint when it comes to Wildfire.
I loved Sophie as well. Her vulnerability and her strength was a combination that made me fall and root for her. The ending when it came was classic Anne Stuart as well. I couldn’t have asked for more!
Rating = 4/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit www.maldivianbookreviewer.com
June 21, 2022
Really enjoyed this one, but it did have some problems. Sophie Jordan was an operative working for Section One a top secret agency. Straight out of training she was sent to take out a charming psychopath who does Very Bad Things (typing this, I'm realizing that I don't actually know what Archer McDonald's "job" was supposed to be -- he had a boss of some sort that was mentioned at one point, but seemed to be responsible entirely for the chemical that was the subject of much of this book... more on that in a minute). But said psychopath was charming and she fell for it and thought he was innocent, quitting her job.
The problem was, he didn't get the memo that she'd given it all up for him -- or he did and didn't care. He tried to have her killed, the assassin got her but it wasn't a kill shot, and the bullet paralyzed her...
...Or did it? (DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!)
Basically, Sophie's body has improbably healed from her spinal injury entirely in the span of, like, a year, like her healing abilities are second only to Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Rises. And not only that, but she's back in fighting form, and despite constant surveillance, no one knows it. We eventually find out her marriage to Archer was three years before and they presumably had a few months to a year of happy marriage before her gunshot, and it took about a year after that for the feeling to come back to her legs. So allllll of her progress has taken place in the space of a year, with no physical therapy, no doctor supervision, and entirely in secret. She's taken all that time to plan her escape, hopefully with completing her mission and murdering her evil husband, and she's close to the day.
Sorry, that 3-year time frame is a little suss and it wouldn't have taken much effort to extend it out. Even five years would have caused me fewer eyebrow raises.
Anyway, when the book begins, everyone thinks that Sophie is a pathetic "cripple" (their word, use it around me and get shanked... or at least verbally eviscerated like the guy in Jr. High who called my sister the "R" word...), hates her, and picks on her. Except Joe. And oh my God, Joe.
For someone that has, maybe, a few paragraphs of page time, boy did we get a lot of intro to him. This brings me to one of the book's problems: I lost count of how many times Sophie's thought process told me that Joe was loyal to Archer and would never help her, even though he liked her a bunch. In fact a lot of details in this book were repeated numerous times: Joe's loyalty to Archer even though he clearly had a soft spot for Sophie, Rachel-the-almost-but-not-quite-nurse's fake boobs, Sophie's supposed Vicodin habit, the Sophie-supplied Vicodin habit of Not-Joe (can't remember his name), that the hit on Archer that sent Sophie to him was her first ever assignment that she was way too green for (and why would a super-secret spy organization send a brand baby new recruit out for such an important assignment with such a manipulative man? Were they short on operatives that day?)... It genuinely felt like either Anne Stuart didn't have a great proof-reader to filter that stuff out, or she had some sort of word count to meet and instead of adding more to the story, she repeated the same plot points over and over and hoped the reader wouldn't notice.
And yet, despite all that, I'm still giving this thing four stars. Or at least 3.5. It wasn't that it was that good -- I just freaking enjoyed it.
Mal is an operative with the same organization as Sophie. Only his cover is that he left the organization years ago and is now working for some shadowy figure who wants to buy the bottled plague that Archer's scientist is making. That's the bad guy scheme btw, there is a manufactured plague that will kill millions, but there's an antidote will save your life that you can totally have for the low, low price of allllll the money. And Archer's going to sell it to the highest bidder... and then the second-highest... and then the third-highest...
Archer (who is a special kind of crazy that can only come from psychopathy or bad plotting) can't decide if he wants to (1) dangle Mal in front of Sophie to see if she'll screw him so he can taunt her with the recording (because remember, he surveils everything and seemingly wanks off to most of it), (2) use Mal to screw Sophie so that Archer can (a) then also screw Sophie, (b) then kill her, (3) use Mal to kill Sophie, (4) beat Sophie up because of how she looks at Mal even though he's actively pushing them together, or (5) just kill everyone. So Crazytown pretty much tries some combination of all of it. The guy is everywhere. On page he is disgusted by her and wants to torture her. The next scene, he wants to kill her. The next scene he wants Mal to fuck her so he can get sloppy seconds because her half-paralyzed body disgusts him. Then he wants to keep her around to keep mentally and physically torturing her. And then he's trying to murder everyone.
Like, come on guy, pick a lane.
Sophie was definitely on the TSTL side for ever falling for this guy, with her training and it seems the book agrees.
As for the romance, I shouldn't, but I liked it. Mal was a dick and wasn't all that likable, but really, that's part of why I enjoy Anne Stuart. Her MMCs are not always heroes (although Mal was more so than some I've read) and there's genuine animosity between her characters. In another book, the FMC pulled a gun and fired on the MMC, only to find out it was empty. (He deserved it.) In this one, Sophie and Mal talk about killing each other a lot. And for a while, they believe it.
Anne Stuart does a good job of setting the scene and the atmosphere, making me believe the characters were into each other (although I really did wish Sophie would have played harder to get -- it was her life at stake).
All in all, one of those books that after typing all this out, I'm honestly not sure why I liked it so much. It was a Kindle Unlimited read/listen (love those!) but I wouldn't say I'd never check it out again. I guess I just loved the chemistry between the characters and the suspense of the background. Plus, I'm a sucker for a bad-ass in a wheelchair (just ask my twin!).
The problem was, he didn't get the memo that she'd given it all up for him -- or he did and didn't care. He tried to have her killed, the assassin got her but it wasn't a kill shot, and the bullet paralyzed her...
...Or did it? (DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!)
Basically, Sophie's body has improbably healed from her spinal injury entirely in the span of, like, a year, like her healing abilities are second only to Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Rises. And not only that, but she's back in fighting form, and despite constant surveillance, no one knows it. We eventually find out her marriage to Archer was three years before and they presumably had a few months to a year of happy marriage before her gunshot, and it took about a year after that for the feeling to come back to her legs. So allllll of her progress has taken place in the space of a year, with no physical therapy, no doctor supervision, and entirely in secret. She's taken all that time to plan her escape, hopefully with completing her mission and murdering her evil husband, and she's close to the day.
Sorry, that 3-year time frame is a little suss and it wouldn't have taken much effort to extend it out. Even five years would have caused me fewer eyebrow raises.
Anyway, when the book begins, everyone thinks that Sophie is a pathetic "cripple" (their word, use it around me and get shanked... or at least verbally eviscerated like the guy in Jr. High who called my sister the "R" word...), hates her, and picks on her. Except Joe. And oh my God, Joe.
For someone that has, maybe, a few paragraphs of page time, boy did we get a lot of intro to him. This brings me to one of the book's problems: I lost count of how many times Sophie's thought process told me that Joe was loyal to Archer and would never help her, even though he liked her a bunch. In fact a lot of details in this book were repeated numerous times: Joe's loyalty to Archer even though he clearly had a soft spot for Sophie, Rachel-the-almost-but-not-quite-nurse's fake boobs, Sophie's supposed Vicodin habit, the Sophie-supplied Vicodin habit of Not-Joe (can't remember his name), that the hit on Archer that sent Sophie to him was her first ever assignment that she was way too green for (and why would a super-secret spy organization send a brand baby new recruit out for such an important assignment with such a manipulative man? Were they short on operatives that day?)... It genuinely felt like either Anne Stuart didn't have a great proof-reader to filter that stuff out, or she had some sort of word count to meet and instead of adding more to the story, she repeated the same plot points over and over and hoped the reader wouldn't notice.
And yet, despite all that, I'm still giving this thing four stars. Or at least 3.5. It wasn't that it was that good -- I just freaking enjoyed it.
Mal is an operative with the same organization as Sophie. Only his cover is that he left the organization years ago and is now working for some shadowy figure who wants to buy the bottled plague that Archer's scientist is making. That's the bad guy scheme btw, there is a manufactured plague that will kill millions, but there's an antidote will save your life that you can totally have for the low, low price of allllll the money. And Archer's going to sell it to the highest bidder... and then the second-highest... and then the third-highest...
Archer (who is a special kind of crazy that can only come from psychopathy or bad plotting) can't decide if he wants to (1) dangle Mal in front of Sophie to see if she'll screw him so he can taunt her with the recording (because remember, he surveils everything and seemingly wanks off to most of it), (2) use Mal to screw Sophie so that Archer can (a) then also screw Sophie, (b) then kill her, (3) use Mal to kill Sophie, (4) beat Sophie up because of how she looks at Mal even though he's actively pushing them together, or (5) just kill everyone. So Crazytown pretty much tries some combination of all of it. The guy is everywhere. On page he is disgusted by her and wants to torture her. The next scene, he wants to kill her. The next scene he wants Mal to fuck her so he can get sloppy seconds because her half-paralyzed body disgusts him. Then he wants to keep her around to keep mentally and physically torturing her. And then he's trying to murder everyone.
Like, come on guy, pick a lane.
Sophie was definitely on the TSTL side for ever falling for this guy, with her training and it seems the book agrees.
As for the romance, I shouldn't, but I liked it. Mal was a dick and wasn't all that likable, but really, that's part of why I enjoy Anne Stuart. Her MMCs are not always heroes (although Mal was more so than some I've read) and there's genuine animosity between her characters. In another book, the FMC pulled a gun and fired on the MMC, only to find out it was empty. (He deserved it.) In this one, Sophie and Mal talk about killing each other a lot. And for a while, they believe it.
Anne Stuart does a good job of setting the scene and the atmosphere, making me believe the characters were into each other (although I really did wish Sophie would have played harder to get -- it was her life at stake).
All in all, one of those books that after typing all this out, I'm honestly not sure why I liked it so much. It was a Kindle Unlimited read/listen (love those!) but I wouldn't say I'd never check it out again. I guess I just loved the chemistry between the characters and the suspense of the background. Plus, I'm a sucker for a bad-ass in a wheelchair (just ask my twin!).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2017
3.5 helms
Please follow me on my blog :) Review originally posted on Vellum Voyages (www.vellumvoyages.com)
Does anyone want to READ an action movie?! I felt like I was dropped into some sort of James Bond/Mission Impossible style action-packed suspense, with a whole LOT of sexual tension! Fast paced reading most of the time and WOW Anne Stuart writes her villains very well. Archer is such a f#cktard!
Ex-Committee operative Sophie Jordan MacDonald botches up her first mission of killing Archer MacDonald - an unscrupulous, arms and drugs self-made multi-millionaire, by falling in love and marrying him! Archer learns of Sophie's involvement with the Committee and ruthlessly plans for her assassination. The assassin manages to paralyze Sophie by hitting her spine instead of killing her and she is unofficially made a prisoner on Archer's private island and is prey to his sadistic games. Sophie secretly focuses on regaining the use of her legs and plans to complete her mission and get off the island for good. Archer is involved in cutting his latest deal for a new dangerous biochemical weapon with Malcolm (Mal) Gunnison, an undercover agent for the Committee hired to finish Sophie's job. Sophie is considered inconsequential and the Committee leaves it up to Mal to decide Sophie's fate. Archer invites Mal over to enjoy his private island, women and other luxuries while the deal is being negotiated and the attraction between Sophie and Mal is instant, intense and animalistic and complicates the mission further as Mal and Sophie further discover Archer's twisted soul.
Few things readers should be aware of:
1) Mal & Sophie's relationship all happens while Sophie is married - so essentially it is cheating if we are looking at technicalities.
2) This is an angry relationship for most of the book as we are dealing with two strong characters, one who is an anti-hero. They are both calling the shots in their own way as the have their own personal agendas.
This read well most of the time but the plot did drag at times and the characters internal thoughts were noticeably repetitive, hence where the stars were lost. Overall a good action packed read with some surprises to keep you turning the pages!
*Thank-you Anne Stuart, Netgalley & Montlake Romance for the ARC.
Please follow me on my blog :) Review originally posted on Vellum Voyages (www.vellumvoyages.com)
Does anyone want to READ an action movie?! I felt like I was dropped into some sort of James Bond/Mission Impossible style action-packed suspense, with a whole LOT of sexual tension! Fast paced reading most of the time and WOW Anne Stuart writes her villains very well. Archer is such a f#cktard!
Ex-Committee operative Sophie Jordan MacDonald botches up her first mission of killing Archer MacDonald - an unscrupulous, arms and drugs self-made multi-millionaire, by falling in love and marrying him! Archer learns of Sophie's involvement with the Committee and ruthlessly plans for her assassination. The assassin manages to paralyze Sophie by hitting her spine instead of killing her and she is unofficially made a prisoner on Archer's private island and is prey to his sadistic games. Sophie secretly focuses on regaining the use of her legs and plans to complete her mission and get off the island for good. Archer is involved in cutting his latest deal for a new dangerous biochemical weapon with Malcolm (Mal) Gunnison, an undercover agent for the Committee hired to finish Sophie's job. Sophie is considered inconsequential and the Committee leaves it up to Mal to decide Sophie's fate. Archer invites Mal over to enjoy his private island, women and other luxuries while the deal is being negotiated and the attraction between Sophie and Mal is instant, intense and animalistic and complicates the mission further as Mal and Sophie further discover Archer's twisted soul.
Few things readers should be aware of:
1) Mal & Sophie's relationship all happens while Sophie is married - so essentially it is cheating if we are looking at technicalities.
2) This is an angry relationship for most of the book as we are dealing with two strong characters, one who is an anti-hero. They are both calling the shots in their own way as the have their own personal agendas.
This read well most of the time but the plot did drag at times and the characters internal thoughts were noticeably repetitive, hence where the stars were lost. Overall a good action packed read with some surprises to keep you turning the pages!
*Thank-you Anne Stuart, Netgalley & Montlake Romance for the ARC.
May 20, 2017
This is the third book in this series and is a branch off of this author's Ice series. I admit I haven't read the first two in this one but I loved the Ice series. This author does a great job in the romantic suspense genre.
In this one, new operative Sophie is sent on a mission, and instead of killing her target she falls in love with him & marrying him. Now this is some seriously bad decision making on her part cuz her hubby is a psycho. Fortunately for her another operative, Malcolm is sent to fix her mistakes.
Malcolm (of course) falls for Sophie and they end up working together to get her away from her husband. Was this story believable? No. Was it fun? Definitely.
Overall I enjoyed it. It wasn't my favorite from this author but I still thought it was pretty good.
*Review copy provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
In this one, new operative Sophie is sent on a mission, and instead of killing her target she falls in love with him & marrying him. Now this is some seriously bad decision making on her part cuz her hubby is a psycho. Fortunately for her another operative, Malcolm is sent to fix her mistakes.
Malcolm (of course) falls for Sophie and they end up working together to get her away from her husband. Was this story believable? No. Was it fun? Definitely.
Overall I enjoyed it. It wasn't my favorite from this author but I still thought it was pretty good.
*Review copy provided by publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
February 24, 2017
As reviewed at Roses Are Blue: http://wp.me/p3QRh4-uK
The Committee is a nebulous organization which exists to fight the wrongs and evils of the world, but whose methods are ruthless, and sometimes leave collateral damage. Sophie Jordan was in training to become an agent when she was sent on her first assignment. Her team's mission was to kill Archer MacDonald, who is a wealthy arms dealer, among other crimes. Unfortunately, the inexperienced Sophie fell in love with him, and she ended up marrying him. Not long after, Archer learned of Sophie's involvement with the Committee, and contracted to have her killed. The assassin only managed to injure Sophie's spine, causing paralysis. Archer, being a sadistic monster underneath his surface charm, takes great joy in having Sophie helpless and under his thumb. He virtually holds her prisoner on his private island while he continues with his latest venture, which is brokering a deal for a new and dangerous chemical weapon.
Unbeknownst to Archer, Sophie has begun to regain the feeling in her legs. Every day, while in her luxurious bathroom, out of reach of Archer's surveillance cameras, she exercises her body, building up her strength. She's smart enough to know that she will be killed as soon as Archer tires of the cat and mouse games he plays with her. Sophie plans to escape the island, and kill Archer before he kills her. Enter, Malcolm "Mal" Gunnison, who is another agent for the Committee. He is undercover, posing as an agent for a buyer of the chemical weapon, while his real assignment is to kill Archer. Sophie is merely considered a footnote. It's up to Mal whether he rescues her, leaves her on the island, or kills her. Mal is reserving judgment until he sees the lay of the land.
Archer proceeds to wine and dine his new guest while they wait for the inventor of the weapon to arrive on the island. Everything is at Mal's disposal, including the women Archer keeps around for entertainment. Soon, Archer even offers his wife for Mal's amusement, in fact, he insists upon it. When Mal and Sophie are out of range of the cameras, they soon learn the truth about each other. They have an intense attraction which neither wants, so their "working relationship" is antagonistic. Then the action really ramps up, with a devastating tropical storm, attempted murder, and many more surprises.
I admit it - Anne Stuart is my guilty pleasure, and I adore her. Her heroes are usually over-the-top bad boys who are somehow on the good side. Mal is no exception - he does whatever it takes to complete his assignment, whether it be sex, murder, or anything in between. Yet this hardened man falls for the very flawed Sophie. Despite her training, Sophie made a huge mistake in judgment regarding Archer. She was gullible enough to believe his lies, and turned her back on the Committee, and it cost her greatly. She's wise enough now not to fall for anyone else, especially a Committee agent. Or, is she? WILD FIRE is chock full of intrigue, twists, excitement, and very steamy sex. I recommend this book for fans of romantic suspense who enjoy a hot, intense read and a dark hero - it's Anne Stuart doing what she does best.
The Committee is a nebulous organization which exists to fight the wrongs and evils of the world, but whose methods are ruthless, and sometimes leave collateral damage. Sophie Jordan was in training to become an agent when she was sent on her first assignment. Her team's mission was to kill Archer MacDonald, who is a wealthy arms dealer, among other crimes. Unfortunately, the inexperienced Sophie fell in love with him, and she ended up marrying him. Not long after, Archer learned of Sophie's involvement with the Committee, and contracted to have her killed. The assassin only managed to injure Sophie's spine, causing paralysis. Archer, being a sadistic monster underneath his surface charm, takes great joy in having Sophie helpless and under his thumb. He virtually holds her prisoner on his private island while he continues with his latest venture, which is brokering a deal for a new and dangerous chemical weapon.
Unbeknownst to Archer, Sophie has begun to regain the feeling in her legs. Every day, while in her luxurious bathroom, out of reach of Archer's surveillance cameras, she exercises her body, building up her strength. She's smart enough to know that she will be killed as soon as Archer tires of the cat and mouse games he plays with her. Sophie plans to escape the island, and kill Archer before he kills her. Enter, Malcolm "Mal" Gunnison, who is another agent for the Committee. He is undercover, posing as an agent for a buyer of the chemical weapon, while his real assignment is to kill Archer. Sophie is merely considered a footnote. It's up to Mal whether he rescues her, leaves her on the island, or kills her. Mal is reserving judgment until he sees the lay of the land.
Archer proceeds to wine and dine his new guest while they wait for the inventor of the weapon to arrive on the island. Everything is at Mal's disposal, including the women Archer keeps around for entertainment. Soon, Archer even offers his wife for Mal's amusement, in fact, he insists upon it. When Mal and Sophie are out of range of the cameras, they soon learn the truth about each other. They have an intense attraction which neither wants, so their "working relationship" is antagonistic. Then the action really ramps up, with a devastating tropical storm, attempted murder, and many more surprises.
I admit it - Anne Stuart is my guilty pleasure, and I adore her. Her heroes are usually over-the-top bad boys who are somehow on the good side. Mal is no exception - he does whatever it takes to complete his assignment, whether it be sex, murder, or anything in between. Yet this hardened man falls for the very flawed Sophie. Despite her training, Sophie made a huge mistake in judgment regarding Archer. She was gullible enough to believe his lies, and turned her back on the Committee, and it cost her greatly. She's wise enough now not to fall for anyone else, especially a Committee agent. Or, is she? WILD FIRE is chock full of intrigue, twists, excitement, and very steamy sex. I recommend this book for fans of romantic suspense who enjoy a hot, intense read and a dark hero - it's Anne Stuart doing what she does best.
Want to read
June 2, 20176/1/17 - $1.99 on Kindle
December 22, 2016
Well. What can I say? I never thought Anne Stuart's strong suit is her plot, but this book takes pointlessness to a whole new level. Not only you have to suspend your disbelief, but also your logic, common sense. You have to be mindless to be able to go through this book without saying whah? We have pages and pages of characters' internalization. They think one thing, then contradict themselves, and then repeat the process. One annoying thing about this author's books is the telegraphing. If a character makes a decision to do something, you know the opposite is going to happen. H/H in this book are no different. You lose count of times they thought they were going to kill the other, they were not inteerested blah blah blah. You know what happen, this is romance not psychothriller. And don't let me start on the villain. WTH? Who in real life thinks and acts like this and is still not hospitalized? This is a big disappointment. A waste of time. Sex scenes are hot though, that's the best thing I can say about the book. However, without a good foundation to support them, they're just porn. 2 stars
February 7, 2017
DNF
I tried. I honestly did: I gave WILDFIRE fifteen full chapters (over two-thirds of the way) and six days of my life and just could not get into me. I didn’t enjoy the characters-- the hero and heroine were one-dimensional and not emotionally engaging, the villain was so over-the-top one constantly needed to suspend his/her disbelief. The plot--was there even really one?--was plodding at best. The writing was mediocre and full of tell, not show (I’m not sure I can handle another inner monologue from the H/h). The only remotely salvageable thing were the sex scenes: scorching and angry, but lacking in any real emotional depth. Maybe the book somehow turns completely around and becomes the most amazing thing ever in the last third, but I’d already devoted enough time reading something I wasn’t enjoying. This was my first experience with any of Anne Stuart’s work; maybe I picked the wrong book or the wrong series, but WILDFIRE was not an enjoyable introduction to her work.
**ARC from publisher via NetGalley
I tried. I honestly did: I gave WILDFIRE fifteen full chapters (over two-thirds of the way) and six days of my life and just could not get into me. I didn’t enjoy the characters-- the hero and heroine were one-dimensional and not emotionally engaging, the villain was so over-the-top one constantly needed to suspend his/her disbelief. The plot--was there even really one?--was plodding at best. The writing was mediocre and full of tell, not show (I’m not sure I can handle another inner monologue from the H/h). The only remotely salvageable thing were the sex scenes: scorching and angry, but lacking in any real emotional depth. Maybe the book somehow turns completely around and becomes the most amazing thing ever in the last third, but I’d already devoted enough time reading something I wasn’t enjoying. This was my first experience with any of Anne Stuart’s work; maybe I picked the wrong book or the wrong series, but WILDFIRE was not an enjoyable introduction to her work.
**ARC from publisher via NetGalley
January 9, 2017
I happened upon this book on Netgalley. Reading the synopsis, I figured I’d give it a try and see if it was a good read or not. I’m so glad I read this book because I discovered my love for suspense romance! It was suspenseful and thrilling, while still being sexy as hell.
The pages kept turning as I breezed through this. The story drawing me in from the first page. The whole will they-won’t they, kept me reading. I had to know how this story was going to pan out. Next thing I know it’s over and my heart swelled with joy and I heaved a deep sigh of content. I’ve never read anything by Anne Stuart before but I doubt this will be the last I read from her. This book was highly enjoyable and entertaining!
~Layna
The pages kept turning as I breezed through this. The story drawing me in from the first page. The whole will they-won’t they, kept me reading. I had to know how this story was going to pan out. Next thing I know it’s over and my heart swelled with joy and I heaved a deep sigh of content. I’ve never read anything by Anne Stuart before but I doubt this will be the last I read from her. This book was highly enjoyable and entertaining!
~Layna
March 29, 2017
The latest in Anne Stuart’s much-loved Committee series brings us the story of cynical, sexy, undercover agent Malcolm Gunnison and cast-out operative Sophie Jordan.
Sophie made the error of falling for the wrong man and she’s been paying for it ever since.
Malcolm doesn’t give a shit about anything or anyone, but can’t help feeling a touch of sympathy for the crippled wife of the man he’s been assigned to destroy.
These two clash on many levels, but have a common goal- stop Sophie’s psychopathic husband from unleashing a biological weapon that could change the world, and then kill him.
Dark and angsty in true Stuart fashion, this book is combustable!
I give Wildfire 5 lovely kisses
First posted on It's All About the Romance
Sophie made the error of falling for the wrong man and she’s been paying for it ever since.
Malcolm doesn’t give a shit about anything or anyone, but can’t help feeling a touch of sympathy for the crippled wife of the man he’s been assigned to destroy.
These two clash on many levels, but have a common goal- stop Sophie’s psychopathic husband from unleashing a biological weapon that could change the world, and then kill him.
Dark and angsty in true Stuart fashion, this book is combustable!
I give Wildfire 5 lovely kisses
First posted on It's All About the Romance
August 2, 2021
This one would be my second favourite in the series, with Evangeline and James being my everything. I wish Sophie had been really paralyzed and Mal had to come to terms with his love for her. Also, I wanted Mal to grovel a bit more.
February 14, 2017
(PureTextuality.com)Anne Stuart has always been the master of dark romantic suspense to me, and I have been reading her books for as far back as I can remember. Edge of your seat suspense combined with sensual romance are her calling cards. And while the last book in this series wasn’t a favorite(a first for me with one of her books)this book made it’s way back up to being probably the best of the series yet for me.
Sophie Jordan is virtually a prisoner in her own home after suffering a bullet wound to her spine area. She lives on her husband’s private island and is unable to walk. At least that is what her husband thinks. But Sophie is planning to escape from her billionaire husband, who just happens to be insane and is very cruel to her. When Malcolm comes to the island to broker a deal for a biological weapon, Sophie is brought out and put on display for him by her husband, Archer McDonald. What Archer doesn’t know is that Malcolm is a highly skilled operative for The Committee, a group that protects the world from the likes of Archer, a group that doesn’t care how they get what they need. And what they need is to take control of the biological weapon before it gets sold to the highest bidder. Sound good? It gets better when you realize that Sophie was once an operative for The Committee and went to the island in that capacity in the first place. Falling in love with her target was not supposed to happen. Marrying him absolutely never should have happened. And now Sophie is living with a mad man.
I did have a problem with how a Committee operative/assassin would be able to completely drop her assignment and marry him instead. That was a bit out there for me, but in order to have this story, I guess it had to happen. Malcolm comes to the island believing Sophie to be the fly in the ointment, the dispensable one if everything were to hit the virtual fan. He can kill her if he wants to, as she completely sidetracked their work for years due to her not fulfilling her mission years before. But of course, he is instead attracted to her. Sensual romance? Off the charts at times. Stuart sure knows how to write no holds barred sexual scenes, I must say.
Sophie ends up being a fairly strong character, although I was a bit put off by her prior actions. She is determined to get off the island, but first has to find a way to kill Archer. Malcolm quickly becomes the object of her desire in the middle of all the intrigue. Malcolm could almost be interchangeable with other Committee operatives at times-although not as bad as the main character in the book prior to this one. He was pretty bad. These operatives are all dark, brooding men, ones that have no time for romance and have no intentions of ever falling in love. Of course that all changes throughout the course of these books.
I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue, the suspenseful action scenes, and the romance. If the plot was a little out there due to an assassin dropping the ball with her assignment, it’s easily looked past in order to enjoy the rest of the story. At least that is what I did. I recommend these to adult romantic suspense readers. If you like that in a book and haven’t read Stuart, then you are missing out!
(A copy of this book was provided to me by Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review)
Sophie Jordan is virtually a prisoner in her own home after suffering a bullet wound to her spine area. She lives on her husband’s private island and is unable to walk. At least that is what her husband thinks. But Sophie is planning to escape from her billionaire husband, who just happens to be insane and is very cruel to her. When Malcolm comes to the island to broker a deal for a biological weapon, Sophie is brought out and put on display for him by her husband, Archer McDonald. What Archer doesn’t know is that Malcolm is a highly skilled operative for The Committee, a group that protects the world from the likes of Archer, a group that doesn’t care how they get what they need. And what they need is to take control of the biological weapon before it gets sold to the highest bidder. Sound good? It gets better when you realize that Sophie was once an operative for The Committee and went to the island in that capacity in the first place. Falling in love with her target was not supposed to happen. Marrying him absolutely never should have happened. And now Sophie is living with a mad man.
I did have a problem with how a Committee operative/assassin would be able to completely drop her assignment and marry him instead. That was a bit out there for me, but in order to have this story, I guess it had to happen. Malcolm comes to the island believing Sophie to be the fly in the ointment, the dispensable one if everything were to hit the virtual fan. He can kill her if he wants to, as she completely sidetracked their work for years due to her not fulfilling her mission years before. But of course, he is instead attracted to her. Sensual romance? Off the charts at times. Stuart sure knows how to write no holds barred sexual scenes, I must say.
Sophie ends up being a fairly strong character, although I was a bit put off by her prior actions. She is determined to get off the island, but first has to find a way to kill Archer. Malcolm quickly becomes the object of her desire in the middle of all the intrigue. Malcolm could almost be interchangeable with other Committee operatives at times-although not as bad as the main character in the book prior to this one. He was pretty bad. These operatives are all dark, brooding men, ones that have no time for romance and have no intentions of ever falling in love. Of course that all changes throughout the course of these books.
I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue, the suspenseful action scenes, and the romance. If the plot was a little out there due to an assassin dropping the ball with her assignment, it’s easily looked past in order to enjoy the rest of the story. At least that is what I did. I recommend these to adult romantic suspense readers. If you like that in a book and haven’t read Stuart, then you are missing out!
(A copy of this book was provided to me by Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review)
February 19, 2017
Wildfire is the next novel set in Anne Stuart's popular world of The Committee, a group that can be considered working for the good guys but are really bordering on the dark edges of grey. Here we meet Sophie Jordan, a former Committee operative who unfortunately fell in love with her target and for the last three years has paid for it dearly. Malcolm Gunnison is another operative sent to finish what Sophie Jordan was supposed to have done, that is to kill her husband. She happens to be optional at this stage. What develops is a plot full of psychological mindgames carefully played by all the characters both heroes and villains. Its edgy, unpredictable, often the pacing appears slow but only contributes to what can happens next. If you skip a word or a page you might miss an important detail and so you keep your eyes steadily on the page.
Ms. Stuart is back in her old stomping grounds of whether her male protagonist can be bastard extraordinaires or heroes in the making. They really are not nice guys and Wildfire has no exception with Malcolm. While her female protagonists are usually survivors of circumstances set into play by the Committee therefore Sophie is the exception being an agent of this ultra dangerous group. Wildfire in itself is heavy on the psychological thriller factor but with the subtle but combustible sexual tension between Sophie and Malcolm, its a page turner. The reader might know the ending but how to get to it is the definitely where the thrill factor is.
*This is the third book in the Fire Series by Anne Stuart, a spinoff of her popular Ice Series*
**These books can stand alone despite some interconnecting characters*
*ARC provided thru NetGalley*
Ms. Stuart is back in her old stomping grounds of whether her male protagonist can be bastard extraordinaires or heroes in the making. They really are not nice guys and Wildfire has no exception with Malcolm. While her female protagonists are usually survivors of circumstances set into play by the Committee therefore Sophie is the exception being an agent of this ultra dangerous group. Wildfire in itself is heavy on the psychological thriller factor but with the subtle but combustible sexual tension between Sophie and Malcolm, its a page turner. The reader might know the ending but how to get to it is the definitely where the thrill factor is.
*This is the third book in the Fire Series by Anne Stuart, a spinoff of her popular Ice Series*
**These books can stand alone despite some interconnecting characters*
*ARC provided thru NetGalley*
February 24, 2017
Anne stuart knows her stuff when it comes to anti-heroes and she didnt let us down here.
the storyline was amazing and the sex was hot enough. i only wish it had more depth to it....it was too straight forward for me.
the storyline was amazing and the sex was hot enough. i only wish it had more depth to it....it was too straight forward for me.
February 12, 2017
Wildfire (Fire #3) by Anne Stuart
M/F Romance
Triggers: Abuse, murder, attempted murder
I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads.
Archer is just mean. There are no redeeming qualities, nothing good about him. He is narcissistic, dangerous and heartless. He kept Sophie simply to play with her - she was a toy that he got to torture.
Malcom is intriguing. He's heartless, until he isn't. He's cold until he's not. He is a strange mixture of both good and bad and when he has to decide which to be, you can really see this internal struggle happen. He's trying to decide whether or not he can trust a woman who was so blinded by Archer - so taken that she forgot her own training.
Sophie is an awesome woman. Despite the misstep that she took in falling in love with Archer, she fights back, takes a stand and works her butt off to better herself. I love how she knows what she wants, has a plan, but gets hung up on Malcom and whether or not she can trust him. She takes a stand when it's assumed she is compliant with Archer.
I also really love how this story twists and turns. And, despite the ending being slightly abrupt for me, I really enjoyed this story and hope there are more in this series to come.
M/F Romance
Triggers: Abuse, murder, attempted murder
I was given this book for an honest review by Wicked Reads.
Archer is just mean. There are no redeeming qualities, nothing good about him. He is narcissistic, dangerous and heartless. He kept Sophie simply to play with her - she was a toy that he got to torture.
Malcom is intriguing. He's heartless, until he isn't. He's cold until he's not. He is a strange mixture of both good and bad and when he has to decide which to be, you can really see this internal struggle happen. He's trying to decide whether or not he can trust a woman who was so blinded by Archer - so taken that she forgot her own training.
Sophie is an awesome woman. Despite the misstep that she took in falling in love with Archer, she fights back, takes a stand and works her butt off to better herself. I love how she knows what she wants, has a plan, but gets hung up on Malcom and whether or not she can trust him. She takes a stand when it's assumed she is compliant with Archer.
I also really love how this story twists and turns. And, despite the ending being slightly abrupt for me, I really enjoyed this story and hope there are more in this series to come.
February 14, 2017
ARC REVIEW TO COME
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