I seem to be a walking contradiction when it comes to movies.
I mean, I love those action-y films with barely plausible plots and car chases and buildings being blown up - good times. That suspension of disbelief is what entertainment is all about!
But then, I also love the gooey, romantic films filled with sexual tension and a "will they or won't they" dilemma that leaves you hanging until the very end when the characters FINALLY get together and live happily ever after. That suspension of disbelief is also what entertainment is all about!
Finally, FINALLY, I have found an author who can combine both those elements into one fast-paced, fun to read series.
Suzanne Brockmann is the author of the insanely popular "Troubleshooters, Inc." series, which features tough and manly Navy SEALs (and ex-SEALs) who save the world from terror, stick together, and protect everyone from evil in the guise of Troubleshooters, a protection agency that does everything from guarding threatened movie producers to taking down terrorists in the remote jungles of Asia.
They also feature the women who turn these men into quivering piles of goo - and these women are not exactly shrinking violets themselves...
I unwittingly dove into the middle of the series by reading Flashpoint - it just sounded like a good action novel, a nice change from my normal fare. And then when I postponed my life (chores, errands, and everything else) for the rest of the day until I finished reading every page, I knew I had a new favorite author.
Since then, I have devoured many of Brockmann's novels, enjoying not only the action and sexual tension, but also the fact that all the characters recur within each novel, so that you really get to know all the characters and how they fit together - and then get to know them even more when they are the "featured character" of the novel. I've tried not to read too many Brockmann’s too fast - I don't want to a) dilute my enjoyment by totally immersing myself and more importantly b) run out of titles yet!
Brockmann does a fantastic job of combining believable action and tough guys with sassy girls and sexual tension, all while throwing in hysterical one-liners that leave me laughing. Everyone has their favorite novels in the series, and mine are the one filled with more humor than the others are.
Brockmann has also garnered support from the GLB community for featuring an openly gay character in one of her novels, and then writing the wedding of that character to another man in a stand-alone holiday novel, All Through the Night. In addition, her novels have been on the New York Times bestseller list, and she is a multi-year winner of awards from the Romance Writers of America.
Brockmann's latest, Into the Fire, is another fast-paced thriller combining two "couples", and bringing in a host of supporting characters. If this is the reader's first foray into the series, they will probably need a scorecard to keep track of everyone and who’s who and who’s-with-who, but it's still an enjoyable read - even if it did keep me up past my bedtime again...
The novels in Brockmann's "Troubleshooters, Inc" series include: The Unsung Hero, The Defiant Hero, Over the Edge, Out of Control, Into the Night, Gone Too Far, Flashpoint, Hot Target, Breaking Point, Into the Storm, Force of Nature, All Through the Night, and Into the Fire.
If you enjoy reading Suzanne Brockmann, you will also enjoy reading: Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Elizabeth Lowell, Jennifer Crusie, John Lescroart, Linda Howard, and J.D. Robb.
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