Tactical Strike by Kaylea Cross (Bagram Special Ops #2)
March 11, 2013
Military Romantic Suspense
Carina Press

Reviewed by Mandi

I like military romance and really enjoyed Deadly Descent (among other military romances) from Kaylea Cross last year. Tactical Strike features our heroine, Gunship pilot Captain Candace Bradford who is very hard working, very serious and doesn’t have time for the lusty glances that Combat Controller, Staff Sergeant Ryan Wentworth throws her way. Part of the problem is that Candace is an officer, and Ryan is not, so pursuing a relationship with him would be off limits. And Candace as Ryan comes to find out, always follows the rules. But Ryan is stubborn, and super protective. He notices Candace is out flying missions all night and not sleeping well during the day and this bothers him. He wants to comfort her and make her feel better (if they are naked while comforting, he is fine with that too) When the enemy launches a surprise attack, Ryan is there to help Candace and others to safety.

What really shines in this book is the way Kaylea Cross writes the action. It’s so suspenseful and well done. There is a helicopter crash in Deadly Descent that I still remember to this day. And the action in Tactical Strike doesn’t’ disappoint. My frustration comes with the romance aspect. Ryan and Candace have a great attraction to each other to start the book, even though Candace pretends it doesn’t exist. There is nice sexual tension and even an actual romance scene that I enjoyed. But then these two get dragged off into battle and the romance gets put on a side burner. And it makes sense to have the romance put aside as these two fight for their lives. I would have been more angry had they been humping on the side of a mountain. But, I needed more pages in this story to let the focus return to the romance once everyone was safe. I feel like we get a little cheated in the romance department.

The villains are a continuation from book one and she continues to write them well. She makes them villains, yet she attaches emotions to them that make you not hate them completely. Again, had the book been longer, this could have been analyzed a little more.

If you like books with lots of action, this one and the first book in this series might be for you.

Rating: C+

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