Terms of Surrender

Terms of Surrender by Kylie Brant
Publisher: Harlequin Silhouette
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense, Action/Adventure
Length: Full
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 Rating
Review by Poppy

Dace Recker loved, and lost, Jolie Conrad eighteen months ago, after the death of their son. Now she’s back, partnered with him on the Crisis Negotiation Team. And the deadly bank robbery they’re working is only slightly more risky than unraveling their complicated past.

Jolie came back to Metro City to care for her dying mother, not to rekindle her painful relationship with Dace. But when one of the bank robbers begins a deadly game of revenge, Jolie and Dace are in his sights. And it’s only a matter of time before danger—and passion—find them again. . .

This book starts off with a BANG and never really slows down. Non-stop action and excitement, a fast-paced plot and realistic love story make this book a must buy for any romantic suspense fan.

Starting off with a tense moment -- a hostage situation at a bank -- negotiator, Dace walks in to find out that his new partner is the woman (and mother of his child) who left him eighteen months before. Both Dace and Jolie manage to tamp down their emotions and work on the crisis at hand, but when things go from bad to worse, and they find themselves the target of revenge, they have to work things out in between bullets and betrayal.

I have to admit to being surprised at our heroine confessing to herself that she'd been with many men since leaving Dace... an atypical occurrence in most romance novels, and a tidbit that made me like her just a little less as I'd already grown fond of Dace and struggled to know how she could do such a thing. Still, her actions are more than believable given her background, and very understandable once you get to know her better.

Dace is a good guy from a solid family who harbors such amazing amounts of hurt and betrayal. He struggles to understand how Jolie could have left him without a word, and just disappeared for the past year and a half. But as bits of information trickle in regarding her childhood, his heart begins to soften toward her again... right about the time she's nearly killed.

Every time the action slowed a bit, and I could take a breath, Ms. Brant started right back up. Twists, turns and surprises litter this emotional and action-packed story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for the next installment in the series.