Total Bravery

March 19, 2018
Drake’s fourth True Heroes romantic thriller (after Absolute Trust) sizzles with suspense and danger as a recruit from a search-and-rescue operation must protect a beautiful, intelligent researcher. Raul Sa and his German shepherd, Taz, are the newest members of Hawaii’s Search and Protect Corporation. Raul’s friend and coworker Arin Siri asks him to help her sister, Mali, who’s being threatened by people who want to stop her investigation into human trafficking. After Raul rescues Mali from her pursuers, they experience a sudden mutual attraction that builds steadily. Raul and his team agree to search for some of Mali’s colleagues who have gone missing, a mission made more dangerous by civilian Mali’s presence—but she’s the only one who can identify her fellow researchers, so she has to tag along. The peril of the mission is made more believable when Mali sees firsthand the skills Raul employed in his former military life. The mystery keeps the story moving, but the relationship between Mali and Raul begins precipitously and never really develops, leaving romance readers high and dry. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary.

This romantic suspense revolves around Raul S� and his K-9 partner, Taz, the newest members of the Search and Protect Organization in Hawaii. Before Raul can even get his first workday behind him, he is called to the aid of Mali, the sister of his best friend and co-worker. This audiobook uses dual narrators, but some inconsistent character portrayals between the narrators make the narration sound a bit choppy. Daniel Thomas May's male characterizations are strong and individualized, but his female voices are by turns wispy and shrill. Caroline Slaughter fares better with her turns at narration, but her pacing and pronunciation are noticeably different from May's. Despite these inconsistencies, the plot will keep listeners absorbed to the end. L.C.L. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine