Dangerous Desires by Dee Davis (A-Tac #2)
Romantic Suspense
July 1, 2010
Paperback, 384 Pages
Forever

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: "Damn but she was good. Played him like a fucking violin."

Drake Flynn has only one objective…deliver the "package" back to the US safe and sound. But this package has other plans. Madeline Reynard is hell bent on escaping the clutches of a Colombian crime lord. Freedom is within her reach and she’ll do anything, even deceive Drake to achieve it. Drake has been burned one to many times by seductive women and has no plans to allow Madeline to do the same. But now they are trapped behind enemy lines with no one to turn to but each other. Will trust win out?

In the second installment of Dee Davis’s A-Tac series, Dangerous Desires, we meet Drake Flynn. A black op with the CIA, Drake poses as a Ivy League professor in order to complete his missions. He has been recovering from a gunshot wound received by a double agent he was cavorting with. Now he’s ready physically & mentally to go back into the game. An expert in survival, he is picked for a harrowing rescue & extraction of a Colombian crime lord’s mistress.

Madeline Reynard has been Jorge di Salva’s mistress for 3 years after he "rescued" her from a Colombian prison. Used to gather information in his operations, Madeline is desperate to escape and take him down. When the team extracts Madeline, they are trapped by enemy fire in a remote location. While the team is pinned down, Madeline makes a run for freedom. Drake goes after her and they both miss the ride home.

As they avoid capture and move towards a new rendezvous point, Drake and Madeline have ample time to get to know one another and the attraction between them grows. But Drake is hardened against deceptive women and he knows Madeline isn’t telling everything she knows. Madeline has her reasons for remaining silent and Drake soon learns that things are not what they seem. When they are meet up with Nash and Annie (from Dark Deeds) Madeline makes a startling revelation to Drake that changes his life.

Following along the same premise as her first book, Dark Deeds, we are once again immersed into the shadowy world of espionage. Madeline and Drake are both strong, capable protagonists. Loyal and self reliant; these same traits make it hard for them to trust and rely on someone else to help them. The romance in the book starts out slow and and blends in seamlessly with the plot.

Drake’s previous experiences colors how he sees Madeline. He has a problem with Madeline being di Salva’s mistress and her constantly trying to escape.  But as you learn more about her, you can’t fault her for trying.Though you do want to smack her a good one after the third time. She knows what will happen if she’s caught in Columbia and she has a feeling things might be the same in the US.

Ms Davis has perfect timing when introducing different aspects of the storyline to each other. No awkward interruptions or the abruptness sometimes found in multiple story lines.The word play is excellent and Ms.Davis is able to educate without overwhelming you with information. As per Ms. Davis’s MO there are four exciting story lines going on. The rescue, the romance, the leak, and a surprise that left me stunned.

The romance is sweet and there are some steamy hot smexy scenes but it’s not the main focus. Everything has equal time and that makes the story much more enjoyable. I enjoyed this one more then the last. The story read cleaner, faster, and the plot was more convoluted. The suspense kept me hooked till the end and she was able to surprise me a few times.

I do wish we would have seen more of the other characters but we were able to spend time with a few old friends.  I enjoyed seeing Nash and Anne and getting a small glimpse.at what there life is like now. The end was climatic and resolved itself nicely. Of course, we are still left wondering about the leak and hopefully Ms Davis will provide us with even more clues in her next book. Desperate Deeds will release in August 2010.

Rating: 4/5

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