Review - - Subverted

Subverted

by Lori Matthews

Coast Guard RECON - Book 4

Publisher: Wild Coyote Press

Release Date: June 28, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

After an abandoned ship is found in international waters, Team RECON is summoned by Homeland Security to find answers. Finn Walsh has massive reservations about boarding the empty US Navy ship. His worst fears come to life when they find all the navigation equipment and electronics disabled, smashed, or gone. But when Finn finds a hidden stash of dead bodies, and the boat begins to sink because of a violent storm, he can’t get off the ship fast enough.

Homeland Security analyst Victory Stanhope evaluates foreign and domestic terrorist cells from the safety of a desk in Washington D.C. After a dangerous stint with the CIA, that’s exactly how she likes it. But when a ‘request’ to investigate an abandoned ship comes from the Director himself, Tory heads back into the field only to discover that one of the Coast Guard team she is overseeing is a man she slept with once at a low point in her life and she’s never forgotten him.

In the interest of national security, Tory sidelines her strong attraction to Finn and throws herself into the riddle of what happened to the crew of the Oceanus Explorer and who is selling government secrets to other nations.

The stakes get even higher when Tory realizes that the sinister mastermind of the treasonous plot is closer to home than she thought possible.

PJ's Thoughts:

I woke up at 2:00 AM this morning and couldn't fall back asleep so I decided to read a chapter or two of Subverted, the newest Coast Guard RECON book by Lori Matthews that downloaded to my Kindle yesterday. At 5:00 AM, I was still wide awake and deeply immersed in the life or death intensity of this compelling story. Matthews has once again delivered intriguing characters who engage my emotions, edge-of-my-seat suspense, thought-provoking scenarios I hope never happen but am well aware could, and complex, multi-layered storytelling that kept me up - literally - all night.

If you enjoy romantic suspense thrillers that grab your attention from the start and hold it securely until you turn that final page, you won't want to miss this book. It includes crossover characters from the first three books in the Coast Guard RECON series (which I also highly recommend) but also stands well on its own. I loved it. 

Review - - CONFLICTED: A Romantic Suspense Thriller

CONFLICTED: A Romantic Suspense Thriller

by Lori Matthews

Coast Guard RECON - Book 3

Publisher: Lori Matthews

Release Date: May 17, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

Meet Elias Mason of the US Coast Guard’s TEAM RECON. As in reconstructed. As in broken and needs fixing.

Team RECON has a new headquarters now—Miami, Florida, which also happens to be Elias’s hometown. He’s been avoiding his past like the plague, but there are some things you can’t outrun. Like the death of his best friend, his past involvement with the local gang, and his first love, Andrea Torres.

Andrea has been on a path of vengeance for years. Now an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Andy is determined to take down Santiago, the main runner of guns, money, and drugs in Miami, and the man who killed her sister. Her current undercover assignment has her so close to caging Santiago, she can taste it.

To stay on top, Santiago has to turn to buying guns from the Russians and selling them to militia groups. Elias and Andrea will need to bury their animosity and ignore the fiery chemistry between them to run a game of deception as insiders for Santiago. 

Pretending to be the couple they once were in order to bring their common enemy to justice would work if only the Russians didn’t have other plans.

PJ's Thoughts:

Talk about conflict; this book is steaming with it! Lori Matthews continues her string of intense, tightly-woven, suspense novels with another page turner that I devoured in one sitting. 

First of all, I loved the setting. Matthews really captures the South Florida vibe, placing me squarely in the center of her lush, tropical section of town that teems with diverse neighborhoods and pulsing nightlife while barely hiding a drug-infested, life-or-death underbelly. The essence of cut-throat criminals and the agents determined to take them down led me on an edge-of-my-seat journey with my heart in my throat most of the way. And the twists. So many twists! 

Then there are the human characters. Matthews really excels at creating complex, multi-layered characters who pull me in, engaging my emotions even when I fight against it. She makes them relatable, intriguing, and gives them nuances in shades of gray. In short, she makes them feel real. I connected with Elias and Andrea almost immediately, even though they were enemies at the start, both having good reason to mistrust the other. There's that conflict again. Matthews leads them through a complicated and difficult journey, both physically and emotionally. The suspense/action/danger of their joint mission takes the lead but their emotional evolution was not overlooked. Only with growth (on both of their parts) would a reconciliation be possible. Only with communication and deep introspection could soul-baring apologies be offered...and accepted. 

This is the third book in Matthews' RECON series. All of the team members are present in this story though the teams' mission and Elias and Andrea's romance are both begun and concluded within the book. This is a series where we see all the team members in each book but each book really does stand on it's own. Although I prefer to read books in order, I do think readers would be able to start anywhere and not feel confused or as if they were missing vital information. Having said that, I do recommend all three books currently published and am already eagerly anticipating more. 

COAST GUARD RECON:

Diverted

Incinerated

Conflicted

Review - - Incinerated

Incinerated

by Lori Matthews

Coast Guard RECON - Book 2

Publisher: Wild Coyote Press

Release Date: March 15, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

 

Meet Axel Cantor of the US Coast Guard’s TEAM RECON. As in reconstructed. As in broken and needs fixing.

When a cargo ship gets stuck in the Suez Canal and an American journalist on board ends up dead, Axel is sent in to investigate. He didn’t count on running into Sloan Bishop another reporter and the love of his life. Or maybe the hate of his life. Ever since he ended up in one of her articles.

Sloan is a driven reporter and will get the story at any cost. She’s on board the ship to document the first-ever female pilot to navigate the canal. But it all goes sideways, literally. The female pilot is blamed but Sloan knows there’s more to the story. When her best friend and fellow journalist, Eddie, is murdered, it becomes personal.

As the body count rises on the stuck cargo ship, the Sea Jewel, both Axel and Sloan will have to lower their defenses to work together to figure out what is really going on. There is something much bigger at play here, so big that Axel has to call in reinforcements – his fellow RECON teammates.

PJ's Thoughts:

Matthews continues to bring the action, danger, and romance in this second book of her Coast Guard RECON series. The suspense is intense and intricately woven throughout the book. The romance is second-chance (one of my favorites) though it took a back seat to the suspense for me, likely due to the heroine. While I adored Axel, it took me a long time to warm up to Sloan, mostly due to her "get the story at all costs" attitude. She does finally realize the error of her ways - and they get their happy ending - but it does take a while.

Matthews' research is impeccable and brings the locations in her books to life. In this one, she made me believe I was on a ship grounded in the Suez Canal. The sights, smells, and sensations of being trapped on a boat controlled by mercenaries had me experiencing emotions right along with the characters. Full immersion into a story is one of the facets of writing at which this author excels. 

The suspense/action/danger portion of this book was 5 stars all the way for me, keeping me on the edge of my seat with heart racing pretty much the entire book. The characters were fully developed, engaging my interest and emotions. Where it fell a little bit short for me was in the culmination of the romantic arc (it felt rushed) and a few threads related to the suspense storyline that were left hanging. I don't know if those threads will be picked up later or not but I wanted more closure. Other than those two issues (minor in the grand scheme of things), this was another high octane, glued to the pages, romantic suspense thriller from an author who is quickly becoming one of my favorites. If this type of story is your cup of tea, Lori Matthews is definitely an author you'll want to check out. 

Incinerated can stand on its own but as the members of the RECON team feature prominently in both books I recommend beginning with Diverted (click to read my review) before moving on to Incinerated. 

 

Review - - Diverted

Diverted

by Lori Matthews

Publisher: Wild Coyote Press

Release Date: November 2, 2021

Reviewed by PJ

Nick Taggert was injured on his last assignment for the Coast Guard. Now, too hurt to return to his former position and not wounded enough to be benched, he’s assigned as the new Coast Guard team leader in…Panama. They’re there as part of a drug interdiction unit, but really, they’re Team RECON. Recon as in reconstructed. Each of the four men is like him; a Humpty Dumpty. Except they were trying to put themselves back together so they could do what they loved best, kicking ass, and taking names.

Dr. Carolina Alvarez had moved on from research and was working for Doctors Without Borders. A chance meeting with her old boss set her on a dangerous mission to deliver much-needed medicine to South America. Her failure would mean the sure extinction of a tribe clinging to their ancient ways.

Nick should have realized from the instant Carolina walked back into his life things would not go according to plan. But harbored resentment still clouded his vision. Now they were on the trail of the missing vaccine, and the assignment just turned deadly.

PJ's Thoughts:

A word of advice: do not begin this book unless you have plenty of reading time at your disposal. I started reading it in bed last night, continued until I fell asleep at 2:00 AM (still holding my Kindle), and dove right back in as soon as I awoke this morning. It's compelling, action-packed, edge-of-the-seat romantic suspense that grabbed from the get-go and refused to let go. I loved it!

Lori Matthews has become one of my favorite authors writing romantic suspense. Her stories are tightly crafted, with fully-developed characters who engage my emotions. She brings them to life on the pages and then places them in impeccably-detailed settings that put me in the heart of the action. I didn't just read about Carolina's, Nick's, and the Coast Guard team's journey through Panama and Ecuador, I felt like I was walking through the jungles with them, dodging gunfire, deactivating bombs, and balancing undeniable attraction with necessary caution, all while fighting for my life. It's an interactive experience Matthews brings with each book she writes. She fully immerses me in each of her stories, leaving me eager for more of the same each time I reach the final page. 

Diverted is the first book in a new series, one I hope will be long running. I'm already invested in the entire Coast Guard Special Ops team!