TEST
When the Bombshell line debuted, there seemed to be some surprise, and subsequently, dissatisfaction that the books weren’t romance novels, which was understandable considering they’re published by Silhouette. While some Bombshell titles have delivered on the romance front, this is primarily a line of action novels. Make no mistake about it, The Big Burn isn’t a romance novel by any stretch of the imagination. There’s only a very light, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it flirtation between the main characters until the very end. But readers looking for fast-paced, action will find that here, if not much more.
Anna Quick is a smoke jumper, a firefighter specially trained to battle blazes in the mountains of Southern California. On a mission she drops into the middle of an inferno against her superior’s orders to save four college students trapped by the flames. She manages to lead them to a rescue copter, only to discover their rescuers are actually Military Intelligence who came to recover her specifically. They need her assistance on a mission that’s a matter of global security.
John Brock is the Delta Force soldier assigned to bring her back. Eight years earlier, her father disappeared on a mission for the CIA and was presumed dead. Now Brock reveals that her father is alive and has been working undercover all this time. He recently recovered a laptop containing information related to a terrorist cell, but he’s trapped on an isolated Malaysian island overcome by wildfires. He expressly demanded that she be brought in on the rescue. Brock doesn’t understand why a civilian should be brought in on such a classified mission, but he has no choice but to make sure she’s equipped for the job.
The Big Burn feels more like a mainstream action novel than most Bombshells, which often have the style and tone of a romantic suspense novel, just with less emphasis on the actual romance. I enjoyed the author’s harder-edge storytelling style. The book is very much driven by the plot and action, with minimal character development. The author reveals enough about Anna’s relationship with her father to understand her feelings, but doesn’t develop those feelings in a way that gives the reader any particular investment in them. Meanwhile, the reader doesn’t learn much of anything about Brock. It’s to the author’s credit that they’re as likable as they are, even if they never become people readers can come to feel they “know” intimately by the end.
The storyline is a topical one that seems very timely. In addition to the all-too-believable terrorist threats from Muslim extremist groups, the 2004 Asian tsunami and its effect on the region play into the plot. I was surprised, but not displeased, to see something so current integrated into the story. It also goes to show how the Bombshell line continues to expand into different areas and offer unusual plots and settings. The premise is an intriguing one, and both the military and firefighting aspects are handled convincingly. I also enjoyed the different setting, although, like many aspects of the book, it could have used more development.
The author’s writing is terse and not very descriptive, pushing the story along in a stream of dialogue and action. Watkins doesn’t waste a word, and more often than not skimps when a bit more would be useful to flesh out the story more. This keeps it moving quickly, but became more of a problem in the latter half, as there were several aspects of the plot that could have been developed more.
The book is different than most Bombshells in another way, and this one did somewhat bother me. This line is supposed to be very heroine-oriented, which was less the case here. While most Bombshells are told primarily from the heroine’s point of view, quite a bit of this one is told from Brock’s, with additional brief scenes from the perspectives of her father and the main villain. The early parts of the story involve Brock training her in military warfare, and the teacher/student relationship causes her strength to be overshadowed by his.
Though Anna’s tough, for too much of the story she feels like neither the strongest character nor even equal to the males, which kind of took some of the fun out of reading about a kickass heroine. It doesn’t help that she’s often cast in a reactive position, with most of the male characters calling the shots while she doesn’t get as much chance to take the lead. There’s also a key moment late in the book when Anna is frustratingly slow to come to an obvious conclusion. This does heighten the suspense at that moment, but suspense should never come as a result of the heroine looking dumb.
For the first half of the book, I was planning to recommend The Big Burn as a pretty good action read. I liked the grittier, mainstream feel and the real world believability of it. The weaker second half lowered my impression, but it’s still a fairly decent way to spend a couple hours. It’s nothing truly meaty or memorable, but for a fast read with plenty of excitement, this will do.
Grade: C+
Book Type: Series Fiction
Sensuality: Subtle
Review Date: 22/12/05
Publication Date: 2006/01
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.