Show No Fear

Author Marliss Melton has spent a lifetime in military and intelligence communities. She grew up overseas, attending American and International schools, becoming a foreign language teacher, and marrying a U.S. Army Captain. Ten years later, following his sudden death, she published her first historical romance which became a RITA finalist for Best First Book. Then she found her soul mate: a twenty-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, who she married and who adopted her two sons. Other titles include: Too Far Gone, Don't let Go, Next To Die, Time To Run, In The Dark, and Forget Me Not. CIA agent, Lucy Donovan has survived hundreds of death-defying missions, but the one that haunts her was before her career, when three of her good college friends were killed in a terrorist attack while vacationing. Being the sole survivor has changed her, causing her to take some often unnecessary risks. Weighed down by trying to hide some post-traumatic stress, her new mission seems to be just what she needs to get over it. That is until her boss tells her she is going undercover with the only man she ever loved, the man she had to let go. Navy SEAL Gus Atwater wasn't pleased about this assignment or working with Lucy again, especially because it's about to bring them deep in the heart of the Colombian jungle and face-to-face with some of the worst terrorists they've encountered. In an attempt to extract two of their men held captive, pretending to be married was risky enough, but now the clock is running out and Lucy's past could very well out them. Confronting their past, the mission soon turns from desperate to deadly, and fear has a way of getting you killed. I only have two minor criticisms for the book. One, the cover seems misleading, leaning toward paranormal when it's a romantic suspense. And two, the epilogue was a tad lengthy. The author's military past made for an accurate and fast-faced thrill read with this book. Part of the Navy SEAL series, I believe this is book seven, following the Navy SEAL Team Twelve. Literally unable to put this down, readers will delight in the realistic and flawed characters, the well-paced plot, and the steamy love quandary amidst the constant action. With a great eye for detail and setting description, you feel right there with them through every challenge and heart-pounding scene. Keep an eye out for this author! Kelly Moran, Author and Reviewer

Her superior at the CIA wants field agent Lucy Donovan to spend more time healing from her last operation. She insists she is ready to go back out into the cold. Thus she is assigned her next project to work with Lieutenant Gus Atwater on a hostage negotiation. Except for her pride Lucy would like to tell her boss she needs more time because of whom she is partnering with; they were once lovers so pretending to be a married couple working for the UN Human Rights initiative should prove easy. In Colombia, FARC operatives hold two CIA operatives; Lucy and Gus are to locate the pair and get out of the way so his SEAL Team 12 mates can extract them. However neither of the masquerading couple is comfortable with the scenario as something besides their hearts and libido seems wrong. The latest SEAL Team 12 romantic suspense thriller is an action-packed entry that grips readers once the lead couple enters the Columbian jungle and never slows down until the final confrontation. The heat is on in several ways to include the steamy locale, the attraction between the lead pair, and the war zone they enter. Fans will relish this exciting life and death with love in the middle saga. Harriet Klausner

Lucy and Gus were lovers in college, until she joined the CIA, for deeply personal reasons. After his father was killed in the World Trade Center, Gus joined the Navy Seals. When the story begins, Lucy has become a respected CIA agent, and Gus, a top Navy Seal. As fate would have it, the two former sweethearts are reconnected when he is called to rescue her from certain death. Much to their dismay, they are soon assigned to pose as husband and wife, and sent on a secret mission with a UN team, to the jungle of South America. The mission is to negotiate the release of two American hostages. If their identities are discovered, the two could face torture and possible death. As Gus and Lucy rediscover their passion for each other, Lucy deals with her own demons and inner darkness. Guilt has caused her to bury her strong affection for Gus, the man she adored in the past. Can Gus help Lucy overcome her demons and recover her deep love? Together in the untamed jungle, fighting the war on terror, Gus and Lucy also fight for their life and love. The book was well-written and gave some exciting details about the life of CIA agents and Navy Seals. (Thanks to the Hachette Book Group for my review copy.)

Lucy Donovan, an exceptional CIA agent, barely survived her last mission and is still battling with the trauma she was put through but months later she is already eager to get some action again. But this time she is not alone but has to play wife to Navy SEAL Gus Atwater on a mission to rescue two American hostages held by the FARC in the Columbian jungle. Gus is the SEAL that rescued Lucy months before and he is also the man whom Lucy was in love in college. Years ago she broke up with him after something shocking happened to her but it's clear that there is still unsolved business between them. To survive their mission they have to work together and especially have to trust in each other once more. Deep in FARC territory they soon get close again but to really have a future they first of all have to survive the cruelty dealt to them by the terrorists. "Show no Fear" by Marliss Melton is a great book which I enjoyed reading a lot. I'm very sensitive about books that use extensive torture, rape scenes every few pages and I'm very happy that Marliss Melton doesn't write that way. She never crosses the line about what is too much for the heroine and hero to deal with. Normally I'm reading only straight romances but for Marliss Melton I'm making an exception because I just enjoy her books a lot. Lucy is a great heroine that realizes after years of self-doubt that life is worth living and that there is no need to feel guilty about being a survivor. Gus is there for her from the first moment they meet again and I loved reading how they got together again. Gus is the kind of hero you have to love. He's a strong man with deep feelings who will do everything for the woman he loves. I also enjoyed meeting the rest of Gus's SEAL team again and can't wait to read the next book by Marliss Melton.

Lucy Donovan is a scrappy fighter with the ability to infiltrate enemy lines and consistently get the job done in her capacity as a trained CIA operative. Lucy does not do helpless and she absolutely has no time for complicated emotions. Lt. James "Gus" Atwater is a Navy Seal working as part of an elite CIA support and he has no time for anyone that does not understand the meaning of teamwork. What these two don't know is that none of their training or covert operative experience is going to help them when they meet up again after many years apart and have to face all the demons that a past relationship has, especially one where there are unresolved issues. Gus and Lucy knew each other in college and had shared many secrets and desires as young lovers, but grown up plans pulled them apart and adult aspirations kept them away from one another. Now though they must face each other as both of them are called into service by the CIA and have to stand up to terrorists that have no interest in anything but money and revenge. Their mission is one of hostage rescue in a third world country while posing as a married couple under the guise of UN diplomacy. They will work with negotiators in close quarters and tight spaces trying hard to ignore the pented-up feelings toward each other that never went away while they get the job done. Trying to keep things professional and uncomplicated while terrorists are surrounding you is easier said than done because love comes in the strangest places under the most dire of circumstances. The love burns strong between them and the emotions are fueled by not only love but fear that this might be the only time they will ever have together again. They both want to think of tomorrow but how can they when the thought that this is the last day on earth is surrounding them. But as with all great plans this one comes apart very quickly and Lucy and Gus realize that not only do they need to understand the meaning of teamwork they have to rewrite it. The Columbians suspect them of being spies, the other "negotiators" don't trust enough to reveal all the details of the trips and Lucy's fear that she is falling back in love with Gus is not a match that should make for happy endings under good times but in the jungle with terrorists how is it possible. This amazing book cannot be summed up with one word or another because it is so many things all at once. It is a wonderful romantic story with Lucy and Gus working through old feelings and new emotions, as well as, adventuresome with the trip through the jungle and detailing sophisticated spy gadgets. It is also an underlying story of survival with the hostage victim's plight being explained and a feeling of true sadness at their blight. It is a great author that can draw all this out in a book and this series has shown that the storyline can continue, the drama unfold and romance still survive under any circumstances.