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Ultimate Weapon (The McCloud Brothers, Book 6)
List price: $14.00
Sale price: $11.20
You save: $2.8 (20%)
Author(s): Shannon McKenna
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780758211897
ISBN: 0758211899
Label: Brava
Language(s): English Original LanguageEnglish UnknownEnglish Published
List Price: $14.00
Manufacturer: Brava
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Package Dimensions:
Height: 1.26"
Width: 5.51"
Length: 1.26"
Weight: 0.79 lbs.
Product Group: Book
Address: 2008-11-01
Publisher: Brava
Studio: Brava
Editorial Reviews
Product Description:
Covert operations are what Val Janos is all about. The man is mysterious and sinister, and lethally hot. Only Tamara can understand the strange intensity that drives him to win at all costs - and only she can match it.Val has one weak spot: Imre, the frail old man who befriended him when he was scared hungry kid abandoned on the streets of Budapest. But daddy Novak knows about Imre, and Imre's head is on the block if Val doesn't deliver Tam up to Novak's tender mercies. A white hot passion explodes when Tam and Val get too close. They both have too much to be afraid of, too much to hide. And now, for the first time, too much to lose...
Customer Reviews Average rating - 4.5
Rating - 5 Date: 2008-12-23
Content: This was my first Shannon McKenna. I LOVED IT! The plot involved two really tough and intelligent male and female lead characters. Both so perfectly matched. He a hardcore street kid turned assassin for hire that no one controlled and she a woman with a tragic past that shapes her into a savvy business woman who deals in tools of death. An awesome read with lots of sizzle. I knew these two were going to be great together and wasn't disappointed. A real kick-butt thriller with a well done plot. Don't pass this one up.
Summary: Tons of action.
Rating - 5 Date: 2008-12-18
Content: I love the McCloud series. If you're bored with the typical action- adventure characters, the McCloud brothers and their friends might add some zip to your reading. When McKenna announced that she was working on Tamara's story, I thought that it would be a let-down because I couldn't imagine a man who would be a true mate for her. ...but I was wrong. These characters are a perfect match--two people who carry real scars on their souls but whose personalities are so vibrant and strong that they are still pushing forward.
McKenna's books are not for everyone. There's a lot of graphic violence and detailed depictions of sex. However, I always finish her books with a "wow".
Summary: Not your run-of-the-mill hero/heroine
Rating - 4 Date: 2008-12-05
Content: Shannon McKenna's books are a guilty pleasure for me. They push the edge of my comfort zone for sensual language (though you'd never guess by the spate of steamier stuff I've stumbled into lately). But McKenna does such a great job with her characters, and developing their relationship against a nailbiting backstory, that I keep coming back for more.
Even though Tamara has not been the most sympathic of supporting characters in the previous five books in the series, she has been such an interesting and dominant one that I can fully understand how Kevin got pre-empted. Tamara is still smart and deadly here but in Val Janos, she has finally met the man who challenges her. I loved Val, he is every bit as dangerous and intelligent as Tamara, but what I liked (and disliked too) is that they are each a chink in the others armor. Around Tamara, Val's cool intellect suffers and with Val, Tamara's emotional ice cracks. So this is one case were a couple definately isn't stronger together, but they are more human -- and a romance between the ice king and queen wouldn't have been anywhere near as involving.
The background part of the story, with the horde of psychopaths out to get Tamara, is action packed as usual. It is only broken by some head trips from time to time, so that we understand what make both of our characters tick - they really are kindred souls and both share a brutal past. Characters from previous books only contribute minimally to this story, so if you haven't read the previous books you won't appreciate bad girl Tamara 'going good', but you won't be lost either.
My only nit with McKenna's books on the whole, and in someways it's more bothersome here, is that her heros are so uber-alph that there is always at least one scene which borders on assault (if not almost rape), and only misses the mark because the heroine submits to his overwhelming sensuality. Well actually make that two nits, from previous books and her past history, I just can't see Tamara being at all submissive - but I guess that was supposed to show her becoming vulnerable to Val's pursuit.
Even so, this is still a worthwhile addition to the McCloud series and I know I won't be able to resist Kevin's book when we finally get his story.
Summary: Deadly Lovers - Tamara meets her match.
Rating - 5 Date: 2008-11-17
Content: Although I've been anticipating this book for months, I was nervous that it wouldn't meet my expectations. Tam has never been a likeable character, and I was concerned that McKenna would either fail to make her softer in a believable way OR that in toning Tam down (which had to happen if she were to fall in love), McKenna would strip her of the strong, in-your-face qualities she's shown so clearly in the other novels.
I am very happy to say that both worries were unfounded. In fact, Tam emerges as a complex, interesting, believable and yes, even likeable heroine. She's a welcome departure from Erin/Liv/Becca, who seemed like versions of the same deer-in-the-headlights heroine in past novels. Moreover, Val is an ideal match for Tam. I loved that he was immediately honest with her about who he was and what he was after (to protect Imre, his childhood protector)--although, of course, he does keep one thing from her that emerges later in the novel. I also liked that despite his past, he is not full of insecurities and he doesn't lash out at Tam (like the way Nick did at Becca in the last book). He knows exactly how to handle Tam, and I bought that he fell deeply in love with her, even though they only know each other for a short time.
The tone is dark, but I did like that the plot itself wasn't as complex as those in the other books (I still don't fully understand the whole organ harvesting thing in "Edge of Midnight"). I also can't say that I felt it was any darker than that of the other novels. The only parts that were truly disturbing to me were those involving Rachel in peril, and I did wonder at the end of the novel how this little girl would ever be able to emotionally recover from all the trauma she'd witnessed and experienced. But maybe McKenna will deal with that in a later novel. Certainly, Sveti seems to be set up for a future story with Josh, and that looks promising.
The sex scenes are in keeping with those in other novels-- explicit, emotional, and tense, but also surprisingly tender, especially towards the end. The only slight real-world complaint I'll make is that I'm not sure I believe that two people who were sexually abused when they were young could come together so quickly, and so successfully shut out the past (although it's true that Tam struggles with this more than Val in the beginning).
Suspenseful, well-written, and very romantic in parts, Ultimate Weapon is a very enjoyable read and one of McKenna's best novels in the McCloud series.
Summary: Exceeded My Expectations
Rating - 5 Date: 2008-11-15
Content: STORY BRIEF & REVIEWER'S OPINION:
Shannon McKenna does it again. I am amazed that she continues to come up with excellent stories with new and surprising ideas. This is one of her best and it's her eighth book (that I know of and not counting anthologies). For some reason I thought of James Bond when I read this book. The two main characters Val (hero) and Tam (heroine) are a romance writer's version of James-Bond-type characters. They are both super smart and talented at lying, spying and killing. They each have and use high tech gadgets, not as many as James Bond uses, but there is a similarity. Tam can outsmart anyone and has what it takes to never be found, but because she is taking care of Rachel, a 3-year old orphan, Tam is vulnerable. For example, when on the run she has to carry Rachel with child supplies. There is also the potential of kidnapping Rachel to get to Tam. I thought this was well done by the author. The bad guys can get to Tam, not due to stupidity on her part, but due to her caring for Rachel.
Tam has been one of my favorite characters in the prior books. She creates jewelry as weapons. She can taser, poison and stab people with her jewelry. Tam is a sharp, prickly and contentious hellcat who starts to soften due to Rachel. Val's weakness is Imre, the frail old man who befriended him when he was a scared, hungry kid abandoned on the streets of Budapest. A bad guy now holds Imre hostage to force Val to bring Tam to him.
MORE REVIEWER'S OPINION:
I laughed out loud several times, not due to comedy, but due to my surprise and delight at some of the great lines, great conversation and how strongly I was affected emotionally. The conversations are rich, twisting me around emotionally. Tam hits, slaps and fights Val physically and verbally. His reactions are unexpected. The conversations are heated, wild, angry, entertaining and amazing. They battle before, during and after sex. The sex scenes were wild, tremendous, powerful, sensual, and fabulous. I actually stopped reading a couple of times to do something else, catch my breath and calm down.
My only complaint is that the author occasionally used Italian phrases. I believe that most were terms of endearment, compliments or food. I just skipped over those words, but I wondered what they meant. I wish the author would put the translations immediately afterward in italics or parentheses. I don't want to miss a single thought when I read these books. My second choice would be to put a glossary in the back of the book, but flipping back and forth is inconvenient. Granted, Italian words sound beautiful but cause frustration when used without explanation.
DATA:
Story length: 426 pages. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 12. Length of sex scenes: 2 short scenes (1 page or less) and 10 long scenes (1.2 to 12 pages). Total number of sex scene pages: 42. Setting: current day Seattle, Washington area, Hungary, and Italy. Copyright: 2008. Genre: romantic suspense.
OTHER BOOKS:
To date, I've read the following Shannon McKenna books.
McCloud Series Novels:
Although not necessary, I recommend reading the McCloud novels in order. For example, Tam played small but important roles in certain prior books. Ultimate Weapon is Tam's story but it starts where the other books left off.
5 stars. Behind Closed Doors. Copyrt 2002. Review Date 2/03/07.
5 stars. Standing in the Shadows. Copyrt 2003. Review Date 2/03/07.
5 stars. Out of Control. Copyrt 2005. Review Date 2/03/07.
5 stars. Edge of Midnight. Copyrt 2007. Review Date 1/04/08.
5 stars. Extreme Danger. Copyrt 2008. Review Date 2/02/08.
5 stars. Ultimate Weapon. Copyrt 2008. Review Date 11/15/08.
Other Novels:
5 stars. Return to Me. Copyrt 2004. Review Date 2/03/07.
5 stars. Hot Night. Copyrt 2006. Review Date 1/19/07.
Anthologies:
5 stars. Something Wild (in anthology All Through The Night). Copyrt 2001. Review Date 3/25/07.
3 stars. Touch Me (in anthology I Brake For Bad Boys). Copyrt 2002. Review Date 2/14/07.
5 stars. Meltdown (in anthology Bad Boys Next Exit). Copyrt 2004. Review Date 2/14/07.
3 stars. Anytime, Anywhere (in anthology Baddest Bad Boys) Copyrt 2008. My 4 star review for the anthology was posted 5/17/08.
5 stars. All About Men. Copyrt 2007. No review posted. This anthology includes 3 short stories previously published in other anthologies listed above. The stories are Something Wild, Touch Me, and Meltdown.
Summary: A lot of hot sex plus an exciting, suspenseful and sometimes scary story that kept me up late.
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