Free Fall (Elite Force #4) by Catherine Mann- a review

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About the book:

Pararescueman Jose “Cuervo” James is the guy they call for the most dangerous assignments. He lives for his job.

On a high-risk rescue deep in the African jungle, Jose encounters sexy, smart Interpol agent Stella Carson. They’d once had an affair that burned hot and fast, but family is everything to Stella, and Jose just can’t go there.

Fate has thrown them into the deadly hot zone together, and sparks will fly…but only if they can live to tell about it.

Review:

Stella Carson has been on a mission since she was a child. Find out what happened to her mother. Her mom had split her time between their home and doing mission work in Africa and when she was killed in an accident, Stella never really bought into the story they were told. Bound and determined, Stella became an Interpol agent in hopes of getting to Africa to try and track down the facts. One lesson she learned? Be careful what you wish for.

Stella is on assignment off the coast of Africa. She is to rendezvous with a team of SEALs and parajumpers who are there trying to break up a pirating ring. Once she makes contact and picks them up, she encounters Jose, and their attraction is instantaneous. A relationship ensues, but hits a dead end for Stella a few months in. She and Jose don’t seem to want the same things. She longs for a family, but for Jose, a recovering alcoholic, with a tragic family history, a family is the last thing he wants. He seems to think that history will repeat itself and they end their relationship.

However, when Stella is kidnapped by a rebel group in Africa, Jose’s team is called in to rescue her and the group she was with. And, once they reconnect, things start to unfold rather quickly. There are subplots happening simultaneously that left me confused at first, but once things got rolling, I could not put this book down. Jose’s team is to guard the vice-president’s wife who is traveling to Africa on a peacekeeping mission and Stella is caught up in the intrigue. As Stella and Jose struggle with their feelings for each other, the subplot comes to the forefront and explodes. Seemingly good guys aren’t so good and what of the mysterious Annie Johnson who ends up on the base with Stella? Well, you’ll have to read to find out.

This was a well written story that grabbed me from the beginning. The first of the book details Stella’s childhood so that we’re not lost when the main storyline unfolds. The chemistry between Stella and Jose is, like I said earlier, instantaneous. And, Mann does a wonderful job of pulling everything together. I wasn’t left wondering “wait, what about so and so?”. There is so much I’d like to say about the storyline, but don’t want to ruin it for anyone. Even though I kind of figured out the direction of the storyline, I was still surprised at how Mann actually played it out. Definitely worth the read. And, I had no idea it was number 4 in a series. I didn’t feel like I missed anything by not reading the first three, but, I will go back and read the others when I get the chance!!!

Reviewed by Vickie M.

Copy supplied by Netgalley