Author: Tracy Tappan
Series: Wings of Gold #2
Pages: 352
Date Published: 2015
Publisher: B.Reed Publishing
Format: Kindle
Genre: Romance
Eric “LZ” O’Dwyer, a senior lieutenant stationed out of San Diego, is in command of his own helicopter detachment out of the HSM-75 Wolf Pack. Deployed off the coast of South America on a counterdrug operation, Eric jumps at the chance to take down a ruthless drug lord. But to do it, he’ll have to join forces with badass DEA Agent Nicole Gamboa. Infiltrating the drug lord’s mansion is crucial to the mission, and to pull it off, Eric and Nicole have to play out an intimate scene together that leaves them both reeling. In the aftermath, Eric wants to foster something real with Nicole, but there is a secret part of Nicole’s life that makes a relationship impossible. The mission erupts again, and Nicole and Eric end up relying on each other in ways they’d never predicted. The stakes are raised to their highest when the drug lord gains the upper hand, and living or dying hinges on a final showdown between Nicole and her past…and whether Eric can get to her in time!
~My Thoughts~
Eric seems to be a stalwart, steadfast man. He's confident, proud, and does a great job as a helicopter pilot. When Nicole Gamboa is thrown into his life it shakes things (and him) up so completely, he may never be the same.One of the things that interested me the most about this story was the motivations and drives behind each character's choices. They both choose to go on this mission to take down a drug lord, but why? I mean excitement's one thing (possibly a motivation for Eric?) but each character has passions and commitments beyond just "Let's do it cause it's right." I love it when characters take on that three-dimensionality.
Nicole wasn't just spirited, she was intense. I usually like my heroines very strong, but unfortunately Nicole's strength did come off as abrasive at times. I liked her, but she kept yelling at Eric which frustrated me to no end. I enjoyed the power dynamic between the two of them though, and it led to a deeper and more believable relationship as well.
The plot was high-energy and interesting as well. It was one of those that I kind of figured out before the ending, but it's always fun unraveling the plot on your own and then seeing if you were right.
~Try an Excerpt!~
Her DEA partner, Ryan, was at her side in two paces. “You’ve
got the wrong idea about what just happened, Nicole.”
Nicole squared her chin and walked faster, nearing the
doorway into the Air Traffic Control tower.
“Would you stop—” Ryan grabbed her arm—“and let me talk
to—?”
She whirled, and with a hard downward chop of her hand,
crashed his hold off her.
Ryan barked in pain.
“I have two black belts in martial arts!” she shouted into
her partner’s face. “Do you ever bother to remember I’m more than a pair of
tits?”
“Hey, what’s going on?” Eric jogged up to them, hauling off
his flight helmet. “Are you two okay?” Behind him, the helicopter’s rotors were
still turning.
Aagaard kept his eyes on her. “That wasn’t about your
ability to fight. It was about distraction. The target was going to blow us to
Kingdom Come. There weren’t any other options I could see for handling the
situation other than what we did. You either, or you would’ve mentioned them. I
knew it would work. And it did.”
“Congratulations.” Her voice came out of a dark pit in her
stomach. “You’ve seen my breasts now, Ryan. Maybe you—”
“What?” The one word cracked out of Eric like a bullet from
a gun.
“—finally stop being such a jerk.”
Ryan’s face flushed a strangled shade of red. “You’re out of
your skull if you think that’s what this was about.”
“Right. Then why do you keep blushing?” Nicole reached for
the door handle to the tower.
A hand grabbed her arm again. Eric’s.
“Everyone needs to stop touching me.”
“I’m sorry,” Eric said, dropping his hand. “I just want to
make sure you’re okay.”
“No, Eric, I’m not okay.” She turned to face him fully. “I
haven’t been okay since we pretended to have sex together.”
~Meet Tracy!~
Tracy is the bestselling and award-winning author of gritty romance, her books spanning genres across paranormal (The Community series), military romantic suspense (The Wings of Gold series), and medieval historical (The Baron’s War trilogy). During nearly twenty-five years spent as a naval aviator’s wife, she lived all over the United States and in Europe, enjoying seven years overseas in the diplomatic community, first in Rome then in Madrid, until she settled back in San Diego. Tracy holds a master’s degree in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling (MFCC), loves to play tennis, is a volunteer puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and enjoys a good glass of wine. To learn more, please visit her website at www.tracytappan.com
Tracy will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the excerpt and your review. This book sounds like a very interesting read! Also, I like the book cover. Very intriguing! Looking forward to reading this book!
ReplyDeleteHi Ally, so glad to hear that BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY has caught your interest--book cover and excerpt and review and all, haha! Enjoy!
DeleteThank you for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteWhat song would you say best sums you up?
ReplyDeleteHi Mai, Hmmm, I've never really thought about that before. However, in BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY, Eric serenades Nicole at the end of the book with a sappy love song...so maybe that says something about me, haha! Thanks for dropping by.
DeleteThanks for a chance to win.
ReplyDeleteHi Andra, thanks for having me on your blog today and for your lovely review! I'd like to ask your followers what they think is the sexiest part of a man. I'm a sucker for a nice rack of shoulders myself. :o)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt, thank you.
ReplyDelete"... Tracy is the bestselling and award-winning author of gritty romance...." I've never heard it called that before! Learn something new every day....
ReplyDeleteHaha, yes, I write edgy stuff. Glad it caught your eye!
DeleteI enjoyed the excerpt and your thoughts, sounds like a really good book, thanks for sharing and Good Luck with the tour!
ReplyDeleteThanks Eva! I appreciate you dropping by. :o)
Deleteinteresting sounding
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review and excerpt! The book sounds great!
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing! Love the excerpt
ReplyDeleteSounds great, thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an awesome book and a great series - I'm looking forward to checking both books out. Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteDo you consult your husband re: the military aspects?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I use my husband's expertise, as well as other military friends'. For example, book 2 of the series, ALLIED OPERATIONS, has a special operations missions in it, and I was able to get great information from a helicopter friend of ours who flies spec ops warfare. Thanks for asking! :o)
DeleteThank you for your honest review, much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great excerpt, thank you for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteI bet the author being an aviators' wife has been for a fascinating life. I was an air force brat but my dad retired when I was only 9 so we only moved around a few times but never oversees like the author.
ReplyDeleteI would describe life as a naval aviator's wife as a mix of highs and lows. We DID have some great adventures, but there was also a lot to worry about, especially when my husband flew at night, and during deployments when I knew he'd be going into "hot zones." We have a close friend who lived through a helicopter crash, and he was nice enough to share his experiences with me for the second full-length novel in the Wings of Gold series, ALLIED OPERATIONS. Pretty emotional stuff. Thanks for your interest!
DeleteThank you for this review and for the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteHow did you start writing novels? Was it something you've always done...or something you fell into doing? How did you get the idea for "Beyond The Call Of Duty"?
ReplyDeleteHi K, funny enough the idea for BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY came to me from the opening line: "So which one of you am I going to have sex with?" Haha, I thought: what an attention-grabbing thing for the heroine to say...then I just needed to build plot around that! Before I was a writer, I worked in the clinical field (I have a master's degree in Marriage, Family, Child Counseling, or MFCC). But since I was married to a military man, and we moved a lot, my career had to become something more along the lines of "have computer, will travel." The clinical degree wasn't lost, however. It helps me understand human nature and write better three-dimensional characters.I wrote for many years, raising two kids along the way, before I published. Thanks for asking!
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt was fantastic. I feel the tension! Can't wait to read.
ReplyDeleteNice.
ReplyDelete