Tactical Strike (Bagram Special Ops #2)
By Kaylea Cross Editions: ebook Published: March 11th 2013 by Carina Press Genre: Adult Romantic Suspense / Contemporary Source: NetGalley Gunship pilot Captain Candace Bradford has worked long and hard to earn her rank and position within the male-dominated world of Air Force Special Operations. She’s not about to let anything or anyone jeopardize that, let alone one sinfully tempting man who seems determined to cause her nothing but trouble. Even if she’s starting to fall for him.
As an elite Combat Controller, Staff Sergeant Ryan Wentworth is used to overcoming adversity in order to complete a mission. Breaking through Candace’s prickly exterior and into her heart is a challenge he can’t let go. But just when he’s begun to gain her trust, they’re thrown together in the field facing an overwhelming enemy force.
Candace and Ryan find themselves on the run, searching the skies for an emergency extraction. But one dangerous enemy has an agenda in mind and he’ll use whatever means necessary to achieve it, including using American forces to do his dirty work.
~ LitConnect BT
Bomy’s Flutter: military hotness
World Building: Contemporary military environment
Characters: Candace was an interesting female lead, she was strong but also vulnerable, beautiful and stubborn. I liked the fact she had a very strong will (aka stubbornness) and a healthy respect for rules.
Ryan was sort of in-your-face, gutsy but not over the top though he was the alpha-type. He made a nice pair with Candace and he had a nice sense of humor, treating them getting together as a mission and all. That was very hot.
Their one on one was hot, very primal and carried a lot of impact. Though it was instant attraction it wasn’t instalove, more of a slow burn sort of love story and I loved that. They were a charismatic couple and I loved reading about them.
Plot: Aside the bumpy sort-of-forbidden romance arc, there was a lot of military action. I’m not actually a fan of that, but if you are you’ll be thrilled, we’re talking missions and such.
Writing: Third person narrative, his and her POV but also a few other POV’s, it made the story feel complete and let me in, as a reader, into more of the story.
Curb Appeal: Delicious cover, hooking blurb. I’m not fan of active duty military stories, but I’d read some PNR by Kaylea Cross – Darkest Caress (Empowered, #1) – and loved that so I’d have snatched this up on sight most likely.
All in all, this was a good read, it had hot romance, passion, chemistry, and it was action-packed. If you’re into active duty stories, this will be a treat.
Meet USAF Staff Sergeant Ryan Wentworth, Combat Controller
Hi there! I’m Kaylea Cross, author of military romantic suspense. Today I’d like to introduce you to SSgt. Ryan Wentworth, the hero from Tactical Strike, the second book in my Bagram Special Ops series. If you’ve never heard of Combat Controllers before, don’t worry. Ryan’s here to tell you why CCTs are the best heroes out there, and believe me, he’s not shy about saying so. Okay, Ryan, take it away.
Ryan: Thanks, Kaylea. Okay, here it is, my top five reasons why CCTs are awesome. There are too many to list, but here are the best ones:
1. Our motto is “First there”, and we mean it. We go in first to forward areas or behind enemy lines and make sure the area’s clear of threats. If it’s not, we call in air to clear those threats. We can stack bombers, fast movers and gunships, and choreograph strikes as we see fit to control the battlespace. If things go sideways during an op, we call in air strikes or CAS (close air support) to take out the bad guys and protect teams on the ground.
2. We’re fully certified air traffic controllers, only badass ones, because we have Special Ops training under our belts. We can locate and target the enemy, then eliminate them from above without them ever knowing we were there.
3. We get to blow shit up and we’re experts at it, whether we’re doing regular old demolitions, or calling in a laser guided missile strikes with a SOFLAM. Damn, I love my job.
4. All Spec Ops teams have the ability to call for air support, but with us there they can concentrate on the mission at hand and leave the air-to-ground stuff to us. Once they see us in action and how we handle ourselves out there, they never want to be without us again.
5. We help out with humanitarian missions too, like in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake when everything was flattened. We went in there immediately, set up shop at the airport and handled all the supply and medical flights in and out of the area to ensure the civilian population got food, water and medical supplies.
So yeah, basically we rock. Any questions?
Kaylea: Um, thanks, Ryan. See? I told you he’s not shy. If you’re interested, here’s what his story is about.
Hope you enjoy Ace and Ryan’s story!
Kaylea Cross
About the Author & Links:
Kaylea Cross is an award winning author of edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense. A Registered Massage Therapist, Kaylea is an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dancer and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband.
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i can’t wait to read ur book, kaylea….
luv the cover too..
thx u for the chance…
Hi, Nurmwati! Thanks for coming by.
Thanks for hosting Kaylea today! 🙂
Always a pleasure!
Yes, thank you so much, Livia! I appreciate it.
I think that “blowing shit up” would be a viscerally satisfying job!!
MK, yes, Ryan certainly thinks so! LOL.
How many books will there be in this series?
Three for sure, and *maybe* a novella to follow. We’ll see. Book 3 comes out in September.