Gone Too Far

June 23, 2003
Tough-talking Navy SEAL Sam Starrett and FBI sharpshooter Alyssa Locke, who played supporting roles in Brockmann's four previous romances (Into the Night, etc.), finally claim center stage in the author's suspenseful hardcover debut. Unfortunately, the oft star-crossed lovers must share the limelight with a plethora of characters from Brockmann's earlier SEAL Team 16 tales, which makes for an overstuffed and somewhat disjointed read. The book's primary and most compelling thread focuses on Sam and Alyssa's search for his daughter and almost ex-wife, who may have been kidnapped by terrorists. As the pair scour Florida, they slowly learn to trust each other. At the same time, Alyssa's boss, renowned FBI negotiator Max Bhagat, must deal with his attraction to a much younger woman, and Sam's former SEAL commander, Tom Paoletti, is all but accused of aiding terrorists. To top everything off, Brockmann throws in snippets of Sam's childhood friendship with Noah Gaines, a black boy he rescued from bullies, and includes her trademark—a WWII love story relayed through letters. Although Brockmann has effectively juggled several story lines in her previous romances, here she simply has too many balls in the air, and inevitably she loses track of a few. Still, the author's fans will find plenty of enjoyment in watching passion—and tempers—flare between Sam and Alyssa. New readers, meanwhile, will find that Brockmann has gone to great lengths to get them up to speed, and those who aren't discouraged by the book's slow start will find themselves drawn in by the characters' snappy dialogue and jam-packed lives. (July 15)Forecast:Brockmann's paperback titles have a huge following (particularly the SEAL Team 16 series). This is a good hardcover debut for the author since it supplies the eagerly awaited finale to an ongoing romance. Major ad/promo; six-city author tour.

March 1, 2003
Brockman has won a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, and two recent novels were voted the Romance Writers of America's favorite book of the year, but this romantic thriller is her hardcover debut. FBI agent Alyssa Locke helps an ex-boyfriend track down his kidnapped daughter.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2003
When U.S. Navy SEAL Sam Starrett travels to Florida to try to convince his estranged wife, Mary Lou, to sign their divorce papers, he finds the body of a murdered woman in the house where Mary Lou and their baby, Haley, now live. FBI agent Alyssa Locke is put in charge of the investigation, but her brief yet memorable prior relationship with Sam creates an almost untenable working situation. When a possible tie between Mary Lou and terrorists responsible for an earlier attempt to kill the president in San Diego arises, the case becomes even more complicated. In her latest installment in the Troubleshooter series about the Navy SEALs of Team 16, " New "York Times best-selling and RITA Award-winning Brockmann finally brings Alyssa and Sam together, two tough, smart, stubborn, and surprisingly complex people whose professional and romantic clashes provide plenty of simmering sexual chemistry. In this exceptionally suspenseful tale, Brockmann's sleek combination of taut plotting, superb characterization, and sizzlingly sexy, emotionally intense romance is absolutely addictive.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)