To The Brink
4 Stars

When Darcy Prescott inadvertently learns a dangerous secret related to her diplomatic work, she knows the only person she can turn to for help is her ex-husband, former Special Forces, Ethan Garrett. Although their whirlwind romance ended in divorce, Ethan's love for Darcy is as intense as ever, and he does not hesitate to mount a rescue after realizing that Darcy has disappeared without a trace into the jungles of Venezuela. Can he save her before it is too late?

The plot transitions between the past detailing Darcy and Ethan's initial meeting and romance, and the present focusing on Darcy's kidnapping and Ethan's rescue. While this format has the potential to undermine a story, in this instance it is very effective as the reader is quickly immersed into the intensity of their prior relationship, which increases the excitement for their eventual reunion.

While Darcy and Ethan's chemistry is intense and their characters very appealing both as individuals and as a couple, the suspense elements are weaker mainly due to the overuse of military jargon. Nevertheless, the rescue sections are exciting (if somewhat overly descriptive), and realistic.

The secondary romance involving the unexpected and emotionally fraught attraction between Ethan's brother, Dallas, and Darcy's fellow captive, Amy, is another highlight of the book. It will be difficult to wait until book #6 for their story.

In sum, To The Brink is the best installment in Gerard's series thus far. Although the books have been more miss than hit for me, this story has renewed my motivation for continuing.
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I'll say it up front: I'm not a big fan of the hostage/traipsing through the rainforest thing, especially after reading several books with this scenario poorly done. But once again, Cindy Gerard came through for me and I couldn't put it down. (And it helps, of course, that as much as I *don't* like that particular trope, I *do* like the whole brothers/family one.) I loved Darcy, loved Ethan, and loved the two of them together. (And am looking forward to reading the Dallas/Amy story when that time comes.) ( )

Great book! Couldn't put it down! So suspenseful! Love Ethan and the whole Garrett fam! ( )

3.5 stars ( )

The series is centered around a family security agency called E.D.E.N, Inc. founded by the father and named after his four children (Ethan, Dallas, Eve and Nolan) who are now employed by the agency. As the story begins, Darcy Prescott, Ethan's ex-wife, is in trouble. She works in the diplomatic service in Manila. When a co-worker leaves her a tape just before being killed in an alleged hit and run accident, she calls her ex-husband, Ethan, begging him for help on his answering machine. But before he can return her call she is kidnapped off the streets by terrorists.

Ethan and his siblings all have experience in covert operations so he was the right person for Darcy to call. But Ethan and Darcy have a past which is slowly revealed in several flashbacks. The couple met in Lima, Peru, and fell in love at first sight and marry. Darcy is employed by the diplomatic corp and Ethan is a special forces soldier so they see each other infrequently. After an incident in Tel Aviv when Darcy is attacked and Ethan kills her attacker, their marriage falls apart and they divorce. When Ethan hears Darcy's message and learns of her disappearance, he gathers a rescue team and tracks her to the jungles of the Philippines.

Of course, Ethan and Darcy have never stopped loving each other. I liked both these characters and they made a very likeable couple. Ethan has issues and like a typical male :) doesn't like to talk about them. The action was fast paced and edgy which kept my interest and made it hard to put down. The flashback scenes were interspersed throughout the action and showed how their relationship developed from the beginning with sizzling loves scenes through their breakup. These flashbacks could have been distracting but weren't at all. They helped explain how these two got to the present state of their relationship and I think it was an excellent piece of writing. Gerard's writing reminded me quite a bit of Brockmann's best. The secondary romance was also intriguing but I don't believe that book (#6 - Into the Dark) comes out until next year (damn). (Grade: A-) ( )