Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: To The Brink (Bodyguard Series)
Author: Cindy Gerard
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
ISBN: 0-312-99093-6
Release Date: January 2006
Genre/Sub-genre: Romantic Suspense
Year/Setting: Current/U.S. and Philippines
Overall rating: 4.75
Sexual content rating: Subtle/Sexual
Cindy's Website:
www.cindygerard.com
With To The Brink, we venture into the lives of Darcy Prescott and Ethan Garrett. Ethan is one of the partners in a security firm called, E.D.E.N. Security. Each of the four brings an intense background to the firm with Ethan’s being his background in Special Forces. He is very well trained in undercover and dangerous missions with secrecy being of the utmost. That training serves him quite well with the situation being presented to him.
Darcy Prescott works in embassies around the world with diplomatic affairs. When she finds herself in a situation she doesn’t understand nor can she get out of, she turns to Ethan for help. With a simple message left on his answering machine, Ethan forms a team - his best friend and former teammate, Manny, along with his brother, Dallas - to go to the Philippines and find Darcy because he can read beyond the words left in that message. After all, he used to be married to her.
Upon arriving in Jolo, Ethan discovers his worst fears have come true because Darcy has been kidnapped by a rebel force and he has no doubt they will kill her to achieve their goals. When his team finally discovers the camp, they are surprised to find Darcy has been joined by fellow abductee, Amy, which changes the plans just a bit. As the plan comes to fruition, Ethan finds himself being cared for instead of the other way around. Maybe since each of them experienced a time of being vulnerable, they can finally get to the bottom of why they still love each other but aren’t together?
Cindy Gerard has performed well with another romantic sizzler interspersed with intrigue. To The Brink takes a close look at strength - strength of character, strength of personality but most importantly, strength of heart. Darcy and Ethan individually are incredibly strong characters with a great deal of depth. The career paths Cindy lays out are easily identifiable in spite of these normally being rather complex positions. I can put together why the marriage didn’t work the first time around but I can also see how they have grown in the years prior – in part because of the break up of that marriage. These two hurting people were given a second chance to overcome the past regrets they were carrying. It goes to show something good can come out of a bad situation. My only hesitation, slight as it may be, is the flashbacks. There were quite a few in the first few chapters. They laid out the story really well and cleared up questions as they came along but you really had to think about what you were reading those first few chapters before you could just settle in to be thrilled by an on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller.
I really hope Cindy finishes the series with Dallas and how his life gets settled out. Maybe with Amy from this story?? :-)
Lori
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