Heart of Danger by Lisa Marie Rice (Ghost Ops #1)
Romantic Suspense
Releases: November 6, 2012
Avon

Reviewed by Mandi

Before I get into the review, let me start by saying how crazy and over the top Lisa Marie Rice books can be. I feel like I have to put that warning out there if you are a LMR virgin. The characters are all super intelligent, super stealthy. They have millions of dollars of security and weapons and the most advanced technology ever. And when they fall in love, it becomes the most grand emotional, sexy relationship ever. I totally understand how some will read this book and just shake their head and say, no thank you. I find it fun and entertaining and wacky. Okay, maybe this one at the end is a little too wacky, but let me set it up.

Tom McEnroe, or ‘Mac’ was on a mission with his fellow Ghost Ops men set to destroy a lab they thought was building a bubonic plague weapon, when things go bad. He thinks his team is betrayed by his commanding officer Lucius Ward. At the end, only Mac, John and Nick escape. As the entire government thinks these three are now the enemy, they have to go off the grid to survive. They create their own little world, deep within a secret location, taking in other stragglers along the way that need refuge. They steal money from other bad organizations to fund their massive hidey-hole. (although they call it something much more technical. I enjoy a good hidey-hole).

Catherine Young is a neuro-scientist who specializes in dementia. She thinks she is helping to find a cure, but what her boss has not told her is that he is trying to develop the super soldier, and then build an army and go back to China to rule the world (simple goals really). One of the men she is working on is Lucius Ward aka Mac’s former team leader. She just thinks he is in the later stages of dementia. But all of a sudden she starts to receive images from him. Catherine has always been able to read people’s emotions by touching them, but Lucius is throwing her mental images. She feels compelled to go searching for this man named Mac, and in a trance, gets in her car which just happens to drive to the ultra-secret world where Mac lives. He thinks she is an enemy. But deep down Catherine knows she must break through his defenses and tell Mac that Lucius is alive, that he did not betray his team and that everyone is in danger!

First, I’m not a fan of character with telepathy. And in this book I feel like the rules of Catherine’s telepathy aren’t very solid. For the most part she can only read someone’s emotions by touching them. But she gets these blasts of super powers in this book that sometimes let her see images and at times even communicate telepathically with people. Like – when it is convenient. So I didn’t love that.

What I did like is this whole set-up. This book takes place about 10 years in the future (they have the iphone 15 – giggle snort). But Mac and his crew are alpha, top of the line security (Mac has a keyboard under the skin of his wrist) and are experts at everything. They live in this crazy dome of a world where everyone is thriving. It’s fun and entertaining. Like I said, if you start to nit-pick this book, you would be here all day.

Not only is the setting over the top fun, but the romance in this one is too. First of all, Mac is an ‘ugly’ hero – and oh how I love an ugly hero

He’d been born ugly, with big, irregular features. An opponent who’d had a boot knife and slashed his face open with it has scarred one side of his face, and then the Arka fire that had burned the other side of his face had taken care of the rest.

At first Mac thinks Catherine is the enemy, so there is much tightening of the jaw, and secret meetings with his men. But when Mac is convinced Catherine is genuine and she is telling the truth, there is literally a 180 degree turn and they go from enemies to completely in love. Mac isn’t used to women finding him attractive, they usually run away screaming. He finds peace and love with Catherine (all within 3 days). I would have liked to see this romance develop a little slower. It’s totally insta-love the first time Mac sticks his peen in Catherine.

He drew in a deep breath and felt her breasts and belly slide against him. He closed his eyes, then opened them. “I think we should talk, but I don’t think I can pull out. Just not an option.”

His dick had a mind of its own and nodded enthusiastically inside her.

Oh that silly dick.

Oh Christ. Mac pulled out just a little – a teeny bit because his dick definitely did not want to face the cold, cruel world outside Catherine’s body – then slid back in. Jesus. Tight. Very tight. Very, very tight.

Seriously, his dick steals the book.

So yes, totally over the top but fun. I have to take points off for the telepathic powers Catherine has and insta-love Mac and Catherine develop in three days. I also think much page time is spent with the villains and that bored me at some points.  Otherwise a fun book and I can’t wait for Nick and Jon’s books to come out.

Rating: B-

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