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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Greene's Calling is the third book in the Seventeen series. You can also read my reviews of the first books: Soul Meaning and King's Crusade.

Once again, this book is completely different from the first two! The immortals are still the same, and there are some characters from the other books that make an appearance halfway the book, but mostly this is like starting over again. The genre has shifted from man on the run and in search of answers to Dan Brown novel to political thriller is this last instalment (although it's the kind of political thriller that contains a lot of fighting and shooting rather than something more diplomatic).

Greene has been living on his own for some time, trying to get as few human contact as possible. His way of life is brutally destroyed when a small crashes down on his house in the Brazilian jungle. He discovers a plot to assassinate the American president in the papers on board. But that's only the beginning of a much larger scheme...

I enjoyed reading Greene's Calling, just as I enjoyed the other books. I was hoping for more answers concerning the two immortal races, but not really any were given during this book. Greene is (just as both Soul and Alexa) a special snowflake as he - and only he- has an extreme ability to heal mortal people (when I say extreme, I mean extreme). The pace is always fast and there is a lot of action, so if that's something you like, you'll enjoy this book.

One thing I found a bit odd though was that



although all these world leaders were shot by 'the best' assassins, in the end only the Russian dies. Some old cold war feelings?

And what a lousy assassins! Or, more people with healing powers, because what are your chances of surviving being shot in the head (as happened to quite some of the world leaders)?

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Greene's Calling is another well-written, well-researched, action-packed, brainy book from [a:A.D. Starrling|6469599|A.D. Starrling|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1393516388p2/6469599.jpg]. What else is there to say? I have never been a huge fan of the action thriller genre, but I cannot get enough of Ms. Starrling's books. I have to take a minute to talk up this author for those of you who may not have heard of her before. I, myself, ran across this series quite by accident, and that was a very lucky day indeed. I was just discussing these books with my friend Deanna, who loves action movies, because these books would make fantabulous movies. I do hope they get optioned one day. But I was saying that these are books that you can just tell that the author is super intelligent (hence the aforementioned "brainy" description). I mean, its not everyday I enjoy a book discussing chemistry and macromolecular materials and engineering. I'm a lawyer, we typically don't do math and science very well. ;) I am foisting these books on my little bro now as he has an interest in biomedical engineering, so I think he will appreciate how smart these books are.

That being said, if you are not a brainy person, and are worried you may not be able to follow along with these books, never fear. I know not one iota about science and chemistry, and I do just fine. The books are fast-paced and action-driven so you will speed along with the plot without getting hung up on the dynamics of the explosives that feature heavily in this book. And for you romance readers, this book has some of that too.

We start [b:Greene's Calling: Seventeen Book Three|22434572|Greene's Calling Seventeen Book Three|A.D. Starrling|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402592039s/22434572.jpg|41320855] following the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire. This was a nice little history lesson, and sets up our back story for the villains in this installment. This was a nice touch and made me reminisce reading some of the more heavily-detailed historical romances I have read by authors such as [a:Bertrice Small|67038|Bertrice Small|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1268081041p2/67038.jpg]. I always say I would have learned history a lot better if they let a fiction writer help with the writing.

We later meet our main character, Conrad Greene, where he has exiled himself to the jungle after things went sour with his soul mate. I really liked Conrad and his four-legged friend, Rocky. The special bond between the two was wonderful, and I can understand the lengths Greene went to when he saved his best friend. Greene's soul mate is Laura, and they have been separated for 300 years. But when Greene learns she may be in trouble, he rushes to her side. I was set not to like Laura based on her treatment of the man, however she eventually won me over. The plot did not waste a lot of time on the drama between the soul mates, instead focusing on the supernatural terroristic threat from Ariana and her progeny. I would have liked to see the relationship issue flushed out a little more I think, but I didn't notice it as I was reading. It only came to me now that I'm done. So I doubt you will miss it either.

This book was just as action-packed as the previous two, and the plot came together nicely as the immortals worked with US govt officials to uncover and neutralize the threat to major cities around the globe. I still think that [b:King's Crusade|17853781|King's Crusade (Seventeen, #2)|A.D. Starrling|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366993645s/17853781.jpg|24991394] is my favorite book of the series. I really miss Yonten - he was such a great character. But this was a great addition and ties together nicely with the previous books. I think we are building towards a big culmination where all of the "special" immortals will be called on to work together for some common goal, and I look forward to that progression.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars / 2 flames.

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Received via NetGalley and AD Starrling for an completely unbiased review

Note: this book can be read as part of the series, or completely stand alone.

Conrad Green lives in the Amazon. He lives a simple life, filled with simple pleasures and the love of a dog. It has been decades since he had any long term connection to the world, and he plans to keep it this way. He has lost everything that once meant anything to him, and now is content to wait out his immortality alone. When a plane crashes into his Amazonian home Conrad finds details surrounding an assassination attempt against the President of the United States. Conrad rushes to Washington to reveal the plot, and becomes the head of the search for the elusive worldwide network plotting to take down all of the world's superpower nations. Time is running out, can Conrad save the world and get the girl that got away centuries ago?

If you're a big fan of over the top military adventures and paranormal fiction, you might just enjoy Greene's Calling. Melding together high octane action, and a group of Immortals who have special powers Starrling creates what can only be described as Clive Cussler's paranormal cousin.

Greene's character is interesting in that he is one of the members of the Immortal race who has inherited strange healing powers from his lineage. He is no stranger to violence and the life style of a warrior. The long-time obsession with Laura seemed a bit far fetched. A few hundred years and he hasn't found another woman to love? Not only this, but Laura hasn't found another lover either? Im not a believer in long term fidelity after a relationship breaks down. Although, I'm not an Immortal either.

Starrling uses well researched real world data to create a world much like our own, and delves into the question of what would happen if a terrorist organization were to attack all major heads of state. How would tense relationships between countries sustain? How would the security details react?

I did not read the previous two Seventeen series installations, but may read the fourth based on a heavy cliff hanger ending that can only promise more fun and over the top experiences. My only recommendation is to throw realistic expectations out the window and try not to take the book too seriously. This is certainly a fluffy, fun read for when you're on the beach! ( )