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kristadeanne's review against another edition
5.0
Not sure why this took me so long to read because this has got to be my favorite out of the series:)
I have nothing bad to say what so ever!!!
I have nothing bad to say what so ever!!!
laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
Tempting the Fire
4 Stars
Synopsis:
Deep in the Amazon jungle lies a mythical monster that can tear a man limb from limb. ACRO agents, Sela Kahne and Marlena West, are sent to capture the beast but will need the help of two men, Logan Mills and Chance McCormack, each with their own dark secret to keep.
Review:
Another engrossing story from the Sydney Croft writing team. This time the plot involves two romances and a continuation of the Annika and Creed storyline from the first three books.
Even though I enjoyed both couples, I felt that Marlena and Chance’s story is overshadowed by Logan and Sela, whose characterization is better developed. Logan is an interesting mix of strength (both physical and psychological) and vulnerability. He is my favorite type of hero – tortured. Sela is supremely confident and definitely holds her own in the battle of wills with Logan. Their relationship is passionate, their banter witty and their chemistry undeniable.
While Logan and Sela’s plot is action packed, Marlena and Chance’s is more sedate. She is quite timid and submits completely to his dominance. I must point out that while Marlena’s curse seems well-suited to this particular book and is resolved intelligently within the story, it is incompatible with the series as a whole. It moves away from the X-Men theme and into the realm of fantasy and the supernatural, i.e. magic and witchcraft.
My favorite aspect of the book is the development of Annika and Creed’s relationship. I love the intimate and intricate direction that their story is going and can’t wait to see how it pans out.
As usual, the writing is well-paced and the steamy sex scenes, which are not that integral to the plot as in previous installments, contribute to the connection between the characters. The book also ends with a series of captivating cliffhangers that made me want to rush out and get the final book in the series – it should be a doozy.
4 Stars
Synopsis:
Deep in the Amazon jungle lies a mythical monster that can tear a man limb from limb. ACRO agents, Sela Kahne and Marlena West, are sent to capture the beast but will need the help of two men, Logan Mills and Chance McCormack, each with their own dark secret to keep.
Review:
Another engrossing story from the Sydney Croft writing team. This time the plot involves two romances and a continuation of the Annika and Creed storyline from the first three books.
Even though I enjoyed both couples, I felt that Marlena and Chance’s story is overshadowed by Logan and Sela, whose characterization is better developed. Logan is an interesting mix of strength (both physical and psychological) and vulnerability. He is my favorite type of hero – tortured. Sela is supremely confident and definitely holds her own in the battle of wills with Logan. Their relationship is passionate, their banter witty and their chemistry undeniable.
While Logan and Sela’s plot is action packed, Marlena and Chance’s is more sedate. She is quite timid and submits completely to his dominance. I must point out that while Marlena’s curse seems well-suited to this particular book and is resolved intelligently within the story, it is incompatible with the series as a whole. It moves away from the X-Men theme and into the realm of fantasy and the supernatural, i.e. magic and witchcraft.
My favorite aspect of the book is the development of Annika and Creed’s relationship. I love the intimate and intricate direction that their story is going and can’t wait to see how it pans out.
As usual, the writing is well-paced and the steamy sex scenes, which are not that integral to the plot as in previous installments, contribute to the connection between the characters. The book also ends with a series of captivating cliffhangers that made me want to rush out and get the final book in the series – it should be a doozy.
tiffanytcole's review against another edition
5.0
Welcome to the Agency for Covert Rare Operatives (ACRO), an organization large enough to train and house various divisions of powerful beings: psychics, seducers, earth shakers, elementals...you name it, and ACRO probably has it. The beings at ACRO are more than just 'specials'; they're people with real issues and real desires, and this realness comes forth even moreso during missions.
Though we readers are introduced to quite a few characters and interesting side plots, it's seducers Sela and Marlena who lead the main plot. The story really starts when Dev, ACRO's leader, sends Sela the devastating video of what happened to the team of Navy SEALs in the Brazilian rain forest -- all but one member, Chance, gets brutally murdered by a creature identified as a chupucabra.
What with Sela being a skeptical cryptozoologist and a seducer with the skill to break into a person's deepest thoughts during sex, it only makes sense that Dev would send her into the forest undercover, along with Marlena. There, in the heat and danger, things go delightfully and horribly wrong. The mission starts off simple enough -- break into Logan's mind and learn about the creature. However, that mission was created before affection was involved.
At first, I dreaded that there would be so much sex that it would hinder my desire to focus on the plot. That wasn't the case at all. Now, don't get me wrong; there was plenty of steamy sex, but it didn't stop me from falling in love with all the characters (especially Creed and Stryker) or laughing or being glued to the page at the wonderful battle scenes. In fact, I've honestly become a fan of the series, and I very much wish that I had started from book one instead of book five.
Reviewed for Suspense Magazine by Tiffany T. Cole
Though we readers are introduced to quite a few characters and interesting side plots, it's seducers Sela and Marlena who lead the main plot. The story really starts when Dev, ACRO's leader, sends Sela the devastating video of what happened to the team of Navy SEALs in the Brazilian rain forest -- all but one member, Chance, gets brutally murdered by a creature identified as a chupucabra.
What with Sela being a skeptical cryptozoologist and a seducer with the skill to break into a person's deepest thoughts during sex, it only makes sense that Dev would send her into the forest undercover, along with Marlena. There, in the heat and danger, things go delightfully and horribly wrong. The mission starts off simple enough -- break into Logan's mind and learn about the creature. However, that mission was created before affection was involved.
At first, I dreaded that there would be so much sex that it would hinder my desire to focus on the plot. That wasn't the case at all. Now, don't get me wrong; there was plenty of steamy sex, but it didn't stop me from falling in love with all the characters (especially Creed and Stryker) or laughing or being glued to the page at the wonderful battle scenes. In fact, I've honestly become a fan of the series, and I very much wish that I had started from book one instead of book five.
Reviewed for Suspense Magazine by Tiffany T. Cole
audiobookmel's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally posted at RabidReads.com.
If you’re not familiar with ACRO series, ACRO is the Agency for Covert Rare Operatives. They are a group of people with superhuman abilities. Many of them are former military and the ones that aren’t have a military like training at ACRO. I’ve always thought of them similar to the X-Men and they are even referred to that in this book. ACRO are the good guys. ITOR are the bad guys, also with superhuman abilities. They often are both trying to recruit the same people, though the have different ways they go about recruiting. ITOR isn’t above abducting.
In this book, we have yet another player, GWC, Global Weapon’s Corporation. They are a weapons manufacturer. The owner was never very careful about who he sold his weapons to, until his son in injured and made into a cyborg of sorts (although that term is never used in the book, that is basically what he is). The son, now cyborg, Logan, is former military and is now very involved in the company. He does not like some of the things his father has been doing.
The book starts off with a SEAL team in the jungles of Costa Rica and they are attacked by some sort of monster. ACRO sends down their cryptozoologist and an “assistant” to investigate. They think it has something to do with ITOR. Come to find out, GWC has been working with ITOR and lost a potential weapon in a chupacabra. Yep, you read that right. GWC had found a real chupacabra and they were trying to weaponize it. Logan just wants to recapture it before it does more damage.
Chase is the lone survivor of his SEAL team, but he is not the same. That creature had attacked him. The only reason he survived was because he has always healed way faster than most people. He is also being held prisoner by these GWC guys. Though with his new strength, he is a prisoner only because he is willing. He could break his bonds whenever he wanted.
Sela is the cryptozoologist who ACRO sent to Costa Rica. She actually is a cryptozoologist. She has also been looking for a chupacabra for years. She came to ACRO after she slept with another agent and learned about it. She is a psychic who can read a person when they orgasim. She started off in ACRO as a Seducer until she was beaten by a target, not to mention that the people she was sent after were not good people and the psychic impressions had gotten to her. That was when she asked to move to the cryptozoology department.
Marlena is a character that has been around since the first book. She started off as Dev, the leader of ACRO, assistant and part-time lover. That is until Dev found his true partner in Gabe. Marlena doesn’t have any superhuman powers, but she is cursed. Her sister cursed her never to find love. After she has sex with someone, she falls deeply (like as in stalker crazy) in love with that person, but that person is instantly disgusted by her. She is usually thrown out right after sex with the most angry look on the guy’s face. Dev was the only person to ever sleep with her and still be nice to her, though he didn’t love her, though she was deeply in love with him because of the curse.
So, there is a lot that goes on in this story. Sela and Logan are a couple that comes together. Also Marlena and Chase become a couple. There is also a lot going on with Dev and Gabe have some issues that they must work through. Gabe being new to ACRO and trying to push the rules since he is sleeping with the main guy. There are also a lot of issues between Creed & Annika, who are from a couple that have been feature since the beginning. They have a very interesting relationship that gives new meaning to complicated. We are also introduced to a new bad guy at ITOR, Phoebe/Melanie. They are one in the same person with a split personality. Melanie seems pretty normal, but Phoebe is beyond nuts. We also learn a pretty interesting secret about the two of them (are they two or one, I’m not sure how that works). I will leave the Phoebe/Melanie and tell you that you must read the book if you want to learn more.
I know that this sounds like a lot is going on, and there is. But, it isn’t so much that it is overwhelming. It kept me very interested in the story (which has been hard for me the last few months). This is a really fun series that is completely different from any other PNR series out there. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it. I should also point out that Sydney Croft is an author team of Larissa Ione (an author that I love) and Stephanie Tyler (an author that I still need to try outside of this series). So if you’ve tried either of these two authors, know that you will like these books too.
If you’re not familiar with ACRO series, ACRO is the Agency for Covert Rare Operatives. They are a group of people with superhuman abilities. Many of them are former military and the ones that aren’t have a military like training at ACRO. I’ve always thought of them similar to the X-Men and they are even referred to that in this book. ACRO are the good guys. ITOR are the bad guys, also with superhuman abilities. They often are both trying to recruit the same people, though the have different ways they go about recruiting. ITOR isn’t above abducting.
In this book, we have yet another player, GWC, Global Weapon’s Corporation. They are a weapons manufacturer. The owner was never very careful about who he sold his weapons to, until his son in injured and made into a cyborg of sorts (although that term is never used in the book, that is basically what he is). The son, now cyborg, Logan, is former military and is now very involved in the company. He does not like some of the things his father has been doing.
The book starts off with a SEAL team in the jungles of Costa Rica and they are attacked by some sort of monster. ACRO sends down their cryptozoologist and an “assistant” to investigate. They think it has something to do with ITOR. Come to find out, GWC has been working with ITOR and lost a potential weapon in a chupacabra. Yep, you read that right. GWC had found a real chupacabra and they were trying to weaponize it. Logan just wants to recapture it before it does more damage.
Chase is the lone survivor of his SEAL team, but he is not the same. That creature had attacked him. The only reason he survived was because he has always healed way faster than most people. He is also being held prisoner by these GWC guys. Though with his new strength, he is a prisoner only because he is willing. He could break his bonds whenever he wanted.
Sela is the cryptozoologist who ACRO sent to Costa Rica. She actually is a cryptozoologist. She has also been looking for a chupacabra for years. She came to ACRO after she slept with another agent and learned about it. She is a psychic who can read a person when they orgasim. She started off in ACRO as a Seducer until she was beaten by a target, not to mention that the people she was sent after were not good people and the psychic impressions had gotten to her. That was when she asked to move to the cryptozoology department.
Marlena is a character that has been around since the first book. She started off as Dev, the leader of ACRO, assistant and part-time lover. That is until Dev found his true partner in Gabe. Marlena doesn’t have any superhuman powers, but she is cursed. Her sister cursed her never to find love. After she has sex with someone, she falls deeply (like as in stalker crazy) in love with that person, but that person is instantly disgusted by her. She is usually thrown out right after sex with the most angry look on the guy’s face. Dev was the only person to ever sleep with her and still be nice to her, though he didn’t love her, though she was deeply in love with him because of the curse.
So, there is a lot that goes on in this story. Sela and Logan are a couple that comes together. Also Marlena and Chase become a couple. There is also a lot going on with Dev and Gabe have some issues that they must work through. Gabe being new to ACRO and trying to push the rules since he is sleeping with the main guy. There are also a lot of issues between Creed & Annika, who are from a couple that have been feature since the beginning. They have a very interesting relationship that gives new meaning to complicated. We are also introduced to a new bad guy at ITOR, Phoebe/Melanie. They are one in the same person with a split personality. Melanie seems pretty normal, but Phoebe is beyond nuts. We also learn a pretty interesting secret about the two of them (are they two or one, I’m not sure how that works). I will leave the Phoebe/Melanie and tell you that you must read the book if you want to learn more.
I know that this sounds like a lot is going on, and there is. But, it isn’t so much that it is overwhelming. It kept me very interested in the story (which has been hard for me the last few months). This is a really fun series that is completely different from any other PNR series out there. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it. I should also point out that Sydney Croft is an author team of Larissa Ione (an author that I love) and Stephanie Tyler (an author that I still need to try outside of this series). So if you’ve tried either of these two authors, know that you will like these books too.
bodebeabay's review against another edition
5.0
[b:Tempting the Fire|7099468|Tempting the Fire (ACRO, #5)|Sydney Croft|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388720178l/7099468._SY75_.jpg|7325362] by [a:Sydney Croft|821504|Sydney Croft|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]
Genres: Adult, Crime, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense
4.75 Stars
Paranormal, yep.
Action & Adventure, you bet!
Suspense, most definitely.
Erotica, Oh My YESSSS!
Humans with 'Special Abilities'. Not vampires or the walking dead. Nope.
Not your run of the mill, 'been there, done that' Paranormal book. Nope.
This is a whole different take 'All The Way' baby!
Not the 'Fairy Tale' of the good guys always win, but where they truly battle evil & have the SCARS to show it.
Where LOVE doesn't always win, but it puts up a HELL OF A FIGHT.
Fantastic writing, keeps moving.
Never boring, never repetitive.
Have I made my point? Read this series! It is worth every penny & every minute of your time!
Genres: Adult, Crime, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense
4.75 Stars
Paranormal, yep.
Action & Adventure, you bet!
Suspense, most definitely.
Erotica, Oh My YESSSS!
Humans with 'Special Abilities'. Not vampires or the walking dead. Nope.
Not your run of the mill, 'been there, done that' Paranormal book. Nope.
This is a whole different take 'All The Way' baby!
Not the 'Fairy Tale' of the good guys always win, but where they truly battle evil & have the SCARS to show it.
Where LOVE doesn't always win, but it puts up a HELL OF A FIGHT.
Fantastic writing, keeps moving.
Never boring, never repetitive.
Have I made my point? Read this series! It is worth every penny & every minute of your time!
laurla's review against another edition
"spending time appreciating what you've got is much better than bitching about what you don't."
"he realized that it was sort of like being in the middle of hell, except he was pretty sure hell would be more fun than this."
"he realized that it was sort of like being in the middle of hell, except he was pretty sure hell would be more fun than this."
aries_1395's review against another edition
5.0
What really got me reading is not Logan and Sela. It’s Marlena and Chance. I don’t know. They gave me a lot more thrill than the other two. Especially Marlena. Ever since I read about her situation, I’d been thinking about what will happen next.
And this book didn’t disappoint.
And… Oh…. even in this book, I’m still mourning over OZ. He’s not my favorite character, but he still manage to catch my heart because of what he did for Dev.
So…. still four point five stars. :D
And this book didn’t disappoint.
And… Oh…. even in this book, I’m still mourning over OZ. He’s not my favorite character, but he still manage to catch my heart because of what he did for Dev.
So…. still four point five stars. :D
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