Not only is it important for her work as investigator for the DOD's Personnel Recovery Unit to find Rosita Ruiz in Mexico, it is also imperative that Clara Roberts find her in order to keep her dying father's indiscretion with the young woman under wraps. Clara's facilitator is supposed to be Light Walker, but after meeting him, she quickly learns that his good looks hide a ruthless mercenary. Light recognizes that Clara is in over her head dealing with Mexican cartel's in order to find this missing girl, and that she jeopardizes his mission of revenge against those who killed his brother, so he does everything he can to get Clara to go home. However, her determination derails all of his attempts to get her to leave and causes him to not only respect her but also care for her as well.

Flash Fire hits all the right notes for a romantic suspense/adventure. Clara is a spunky heroine whose positive traits have been overlooked by men until she meets Light Walker, the rugged hero, who grows to appreciate her. The characters and the plot are well developed including believable action and a skillfully executed story line that builds to a satisfying conclusion. The romance is a slow burn that takes time enough to create a credible relationship between the leads. Even though the story elements seem extremely effective, for whatever reason, I found it difficult to connect with the characters. Overall, however, Flash Fire is a successful romantic suspense/adventure that keeps the reader engrossed until the very end. ( )

This book came over my email as a RITA award winner so I thought I'd give it a try. It's got several of my favorite tropes: grumpy ex military mercenary and running through the jungle. It delivered in a very nice way. It was action packed, the plot made sense and flowed really well. The attraction between the two main characters was believable and pretty hot. The local of the story was well described and rich and full. There was jungle but there was also bits in towns with a mixture of people, good and bad and just trying to get along and keep their heads down in a cartel controlled area. The hero was pretty bad ass but he had solid motivation and good skills maybe only a little too good but I'm giving him a pass since he's an ex SEAL and he's the hero so of course I wouldn't want him to be lame. The heroine was pretty resourceful but wasn't TSTL and knew when she needed help and when she was in over her head.

Totally sign me up for more from this author. ( )

Dana Martin gives us a dark and vengeful hero in this latest in the Civilian Personnel Recovery Unit series.

I didnt quite know what to make of Light Walker when we first meet him. He is one angry dude out to avenge the death of his younger brother. He left the SEALs and is now a mercenary for hire who doesnt think twice about killing.

Clara Roberts typically found and retrieved US citizens and got them back home whether alive or dead. She's about to take a leave from her job to go and help her father through his chemo when instead he sends her on a mission into Mexico to find a missing young woman. Her father asks Walker to be her guide and muscle to help. The two embark on a harrowing trek through the Mexican jungle running from banditos and the deadly wildlife of the jungle.

Walker goes through quite the transformation through out the book. He's lived for so long looking for the man that killed his brother and killing any bad guys in the way he figured he didnt have a heart left. Clara surprisingly makes his dead heart start beating again and he has to decide what's more important – his need for revenge and not caring about anything or to come back to being a human being that cares about someone. ( )

Flash Fire by Dana Marton is a 2015 publication. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“What anger wants, it buys at the price of soul” - Heraclitus

DOD agent Clara Roberts is in Mexico working on an ‘off the books’ missing persons case and has been told to expect help from Light Walker, only to find the man is a mercenary with no loyalties to any one side, and that their agendas are in direct opposition. Light will do whatever it takes to scare Clara off so he can complete his personal mission. But, Clara doesn’t scare easy and the two end up in a hopeless standoff. Who will win the battle of wills? Will Clara find the missing teen, she is searching for? Will Light finally have his revenge against the drug cartels? Can they get out of the jungle with their lives and hearts in tact?

This story is one of the edgiest novels by Dana Marton I’ve read. It has all the elements that romantic suspense enthusiast, love- such as a hot ex-SEAL hero, a kick – butt heroine, a dangerous location, two emotional backstories, and plenty of sexual chemistry. But, this one is especially gritty, with some graphic depictions of drug lords, human trafficking, and the utter disrespect for human life.

While it’s obvious Light is carrying around a lot anger, that it controls him and has turned him into a hardened vigilante, running hard and fast and as far away as possible from his grief and pain, I had a feeling I would eventually come to like him, plus he had redemption written all over him.

Clara has my sympathy right away due to her fragile family life, and the very awkward position she finds herself in. I admired her tenacity and how her loyalty to family spurs her forward and in the process, she softens and captures Light’s heart.

Being a person that likes a little realism in my stories, even if the imagery or subject matter is a little uncomfortable, I was impressed by the risk the author took in writing such a dark hero, with a no holds barred picture of the conditions in Mexico, the jungle, the cold blooded criminals and their own brand of politics and backstabbing and double crosses.

For me the romance was pretty low key, although there is an underlying attraction between the characters from the start It’s a pretty slow burn, but eventually it catches fire, and becomes more emotional after the two come through a tense and bloody battle together and live to tell the tale.
Sometimes, the romance has to take a backseat in a book that is as explosive and action packed as thin one, but the couple definitely has their moments.

Overall, I enjoyed this fast-paced story, filled with explosions, a little comic relief here and there, sharp dialogue, twist and turns, and an emotional, but a special love story to top it off. ( )