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Monday, September 28, 2015

Review of Into the Crossfire (First Force Series Book 1) by Cindy McDonald

intothecrossfire

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Into the Crossfire
SERIES – First Force Series Book #1
AUTHOR – Cindy McDonald
GENRE – Romantic Suspense, Romance, Military Romance, Black Ops
PUBLICATION DATE – August 4, 2015
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 240 pages
COVER ARTIST – Dawne Dominique





Into the Crossfire Secret Cravings 

BOOK SYNOPSIS

It had been four years since ex-Navy SEAL, Jack Haliday, had an explosive run-in with a biker gang wounding their leader, Gunner. During those years Jack had acquired everything he ever wanted: a beautiful wife, an adorable daughter, and a lovely home in the suburbs—everything was as perfect as it could get, until Gunner returned to twist Jack’s world inside-out with a vengeance that he could never have prepared for. Critically injured, he found himself surrounded in the security of First Force International and in the care of their head medic, Dr. Rayne Lee, a beautiful and compassionate woman who knows firsthand the sharp slice of loss and grief.

Now Jack has a score to settle and he’s got some new friends to help him, but in the end, can Rayne help to ease his grief and encourage him to start a new life with team First Force?




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EXCERPT

Closing her eyes, Rayne took in a braced breath. “My name is Rayne. And I know all about the nightmares where the ones that you love are murdered in front of your eyes and you are powerless to stop it.” Her voice fell away.
Jack’s head snapped toward her.
She busied herself cleaning up the implements that she had used to suture him while she spoke. “My husband and I were on a medical mission in Peru three years ago. The Peruvian government had taken down a guerrilla group known as the Glory Road near the Amazonian Valley. They had killed or arrested approximately one-hundred members of the group. Matt and I were part of a small medical unit that went in to care for the women that had been held as sex slaves. They were in terrible condition, dehydrated, starved, and beaten. Anyway, Matt, me, and my four-year-old daughter, Sierra, were housed in one of the tiny shacks in a camp. One night, the camp was attacked by the guerrillas they hadn’t captured. It was a slaughter.” Rayne’s voice hiccupped. She needed to catch her breath. She sank onto the edge of the bed.
Jack watched her intently while she fought to muster composure.
Finally, she continued, “They killed my husband and my daughter, but for some reason they spared me and several of the women who had been rescued. I wished that they hadn’t. I was their prisoner for seven horrible months. I prayed for death every night. Uncle Walt and his team rescued me. It’s been a long road back to becoming a functioning human being.”
Hesitating, she wrung her hands together. She found the courage to look him in the eye. “So you see, Jack, I have a complete understanding of what you’re going through.”




CHARACTER BIOS

Jack Haliday: Jack is one hot ex-Navy SEAL. He is represented one the cover of the book by one very hot British rugby player and model, Stuart Reardon. Tall, muscle bound with a thick nest of dark wavy hair and a one-thousand megawatt smile that brings women to their knees. Does Jack know that he’s gorgeous? Sure, but he doesn’t let it get in the way of helping people in trouble and comforting those who need it most. Jack loves his family. He is madly in love with his wife, Laura, and that little daughter of his, Lil, is the apple of his eye. This man had it all. He was in love with his life, and when it is suddenly ripped out from underneath him, his life becomes one objective: revenge!

Dr. Rayne Lee: Four years ago, Dr. Rayne Lee lost her husband and daughter, Sierra, to a group of hostile guerrillas in Peru. It has taken great constitution to rebuild her life and to join her uncle’s international security firm, First Force, as the head medic. Now, just as she thought that her life was getting back to some semblance of “normal” a handsome man and his adorable daughter are brought into her care. Her motherly instincts kick in immediately as she take little Lil Haliday under her caring wing, but what is it about Jack Haliday that’s getting under her skin, and can she help him to get passed the grief and start a new life with First Force?

Lil Haliday: Lil is a curly-top cutie with a personality that draws everyone to love her instantly. Just a little tyke and at the age of four, her bravery in the face of a horrible tragedy is an inspiration to the men who make up the covert team of First Force. Like her father, Jack, and Dr. Rayne Lee, Lil is a regular character in the First Force Series—she’ll be there to entertain you and the other characters throughout the series.

MY REVIEW:

INTO THE CROSSFIRE IS BOOK 1 IN FIRST FORCE SERIES.  WHAT AWAY TO START A NEW SERIES.  FROM THE VERY FIRST PAGE, I WAS DRAWN INTO THE STORY.  I COULD NOT PUT THE BOOK DOWN.  YOU WILL BE ON AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER THROUGHOUT THE STORY.  YOU WILL FEEL JOY, SADNESS, ANGER, LOVE AND HAPPINESS.  AT TIMES, THE STORY BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES.  I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE AUTHOR, CINDY MCDONALD'S WRITING SKILLS.  SHE KNOWS HOW TO DRAW YOU IN A STORY AND MAKE YOU FEEL ALL OF THE CHARACTERS EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS.  IT WAS AS IF YOU WERE ONE OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE STORY.

WE ARE INTRODUCED TO JACK HALIDAY, HIS WIFE, LAURA AND HIS CUTE AND ADORABLE DAUGHTER LIL.  JACK IS A COP WHO WENT UNDERCOVER IN A GANG SEVERAL YEARS AGO.  HIS COVER WAS BLOWN AS A RESULT OF SAVING ANOTHER POLICE OFFICER.  SEVERAL GANG MEMBERS WERE ARRESTED BUT THE GANG LEADER WAS NEVER LOCATED.  NOW THE GANG LEADER GUNNER IS BACK AND SEEKING REVENGE ON JACK.  GUNNER GOES AFTER JACK AND HIS FAMILY.  UNFORTUNATELY, HE LOSES HIS WIFE AND ALMOST DIES.  HIS NEIGHBOR AND LEADER OF FIRST FORCE RESCUE JACK AND HIS DAUGHTER.  THEY TAKE THEM BACK TO HEADQUARTERS TO PROTECT THEM.  JACK AND LIL MEET RAYNE WHO NURSES JACK BACK TO HEALTH.  RAYNE KNOWS WHAT JACK  IS FEELING.  SHE KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO LOSE SOMEONE YOU LOVE AND TO SUFFER TERRIBLY.  WILL RAYNE BE ABLE HELP JACK HEAL?  WILL JACK GET THE REVENGE HE SEEKS?  WILL FIRST FORCE HELP JACK GET HIS REVENGE AND MAKE GUNNER PAY FOR KILLING HIS WIFE?  YOU WILL HAVE TO READ INTO THE CROSSFIRE TO FIND OUT.

RAYNE AND JACK DEFINITELY HAD A CONNECTION.  IT WAS DEVELOPING SLOWLY BUT YOU COULD FEEL IT.  THEY DEFINITELY KNOW LOVE AND LOSS.  I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING A ROMANCE BLOOMING BETWEEN THEM.  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE JACK'S DAUGHTER, LIL.  SHE IS SO CUTE AND ADORABLE AND BROUGHT SOME REAL LIFE TO EVERYONE'S LIFE SHE TOUCHED.  IT WAS NICE TO SEE HER BONDING WITH DR. RAYNE AND ALL THE TEAM MEMBERS OF TEAM FORCE.  LIL AND JACK WAS ACCEPTED INTO THEIR FAMILY.  SHE DEFINITELY ADORED HER NEIGHBOR AND DR. RAYNE.  THAT WAS SO PRETTY OBVIOUS.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE INTO THE CROSSFIRE.  I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN I DECIDED TO READ INTO THE CROSSFIRE. I AM GLAD I DID. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED AT ALL.  IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST STORIES I HAVE READ IN A LONG TIME AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO READING THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES AND ANY OF CINDY MCDONALD'S BOOKS.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU READ INTO THE CROSSFIRE AND THE REST OF THE BOOKS IN THE SERIES.  YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.  5 STARS



Into the Crossfire - Author Photo 

AUTHOR BIO

For twenty-six years Cindy’s life whirled around a song and a dance. She was a professional dancer/choreographer for most of her adult life and never gave much thought to a writing career until 2005. She often notes: Don’t ask me what happened, but suddenly I felt drawn to my computer to write about things that I have experienced with my husband’s Thoroughbreds and happenings at the racetrack—she muses: they are greatly exaggerated upon of course—I’ve never been murdered. Viola!

Cindy’s first book series, Unbridled, was born. Currently there are five books in the series.

Cindy is a huge fan of romantic suspense series’, especially with a military ops theme. Although she isn’t one to make New Year’s resolutions, on New Year’s Day 2013 she made a commitment to write one. Most recently, Secret Cravings Publishing has picked up her First Force Series. Currently available: Into the Crossfire, coming very soon: Book #2, To the Breaking Pointe, Book #3 Into the Dark, and 2016 will bring Book #4 To the Brink.

People are always asking Cindy: Do you miss dance? With a bitter sweet smile on her lips she tells them: Sometimes I do. I miss my students. I miss choreographing musicals, but I love writing my books, and I love sharing them with my readers.

Cindy resides on her forty-five acre horse farm with her husband, Bill, and her Cocker Spaniel, Allister, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.




AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS





AUTHOR INTERVIEW


Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself to start?
I’ve spent most of my life doing plies at the ballet barre. I was a professional dancer for twenty-six years—I’ve choreographed musicals, operas, and of course many dance routines for my dance school’s recitals. In 2011 I published my first book: Deadly.Com—it was the first book in my Unbridled Series—Thoroughbred racing steeped in murder, suspense, and romance! I’ve got to admit it: Since publishing my first book I’ve been hooked on writing since! Dust never settles on my computer!

Q: Describe your book in 3 words?
Smokin’ hot suspense!

Q: Out of all of your books do you have a favorite character or couple?
Jack Haliday—actually Jack was born (if you will) in my first series, Unbridled. I introduced the ex-Navy SEAL turned police detective in book 3—Dangerous Deception. What can I say? I fell in love with the character! He made another appearance in book 4, Against the Ropes, and I couldn’t resist letting him ride along one more time in book 5, Shady Deals. That’s when I decided to give him his own series—a black ops series, and so the First Force Series came to be, and I love writing it!

Q: Are you currently working on a new book at this time?
Oh yes, I’m always writing. At this time I am working on book #4 of the First Force Series, To the Brink. The manuscripts for books one through three are already in Secret Cravings hands and should be releasing within the year.

Q: Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I always enjoyed writing and even dabbled at writing a book as a teen, but really never took the concept very seriously. Truth be told—I wanted to be a movie star! C’mon, who doesn’t want to be a movie/rock star? Problem was—I was serious! Oh well, it was okay, I ended up becoming a professional dancer/choreographer for twenty-six years. I enjoyed my job. I loved my life, but in 2011 I traded in my dancin’ shoes for a laptop—I miss dance very much, but I love writing!

Q: Do you have a favorite playlist that you listen to when you write?
To be honest, I usually write in silence, but if I should listen to music its usually easy jazz or classical.

Q: Of all of the books you have written do you have a favorite & why?
Thus far I have written eight novels. I think my favorite is Into the Crossfire—I love the characters, and I love some the heartfelt scenes that I’ve written in this book.

Q: When you aren't writing what do you do to relax and have fun?
I love to go to wine tastings. I love wine festivals, too. I belong to a wine tasting group, and have recently traveled to the Bordeaux area of France—so much fun!

Q: What are your favorite types of heroines? Do you like the damsel in distress who needs saving or the kick-ass variety? Why?
I like strong heroines. That said I like my heroine to get themselves into some trouble—even if that means she’s made a dumb mistake—because, let’s face it, we all do! I hate whiney or helpless heroines—not my style at all!




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