Force of Nature
Grade : B

I’ve been reading Brockmann for some time now, and while I missed a few of her early books, I’ve read everything involving SEAL teams ten and sixteen, as well as all the Troubleshooters. While reading Force of Nature, I found that this wealth of Brockmann experience worked both for me and against me. Her books are so intertwined that they rarely work well for those who don’t know the backstory. But if you do know the backstory, some of the elements of the current book have a recycled feel.

This particular book has two main love stories: one I really enjoyed, and another that I could pretty much take or leave. The main conflict centers around a South Florida drug lord, Gordon Burns. Burns is involved in some shady dealings and the FBI has been trying to take him down for a long time. Their agent on the inside, Peggy Ryan, has suddenly disappeared. Meanwhile, Ric Alvarado, former policeman, is now a private investigator. He and his recently-hired receptionist-cum-partner, Annie Dugan, get pulled into Burns’ world by accident when they are hired for what they think is a routine missing persons case. They are ostensibly hired by an ex-porn star looking for her dead daughter’s former friend. Ric and Annie end up leading said porn star straight to Gordon Burns’ son, and she shoots at all of them.

Ric and Annie save Gordon Burns Jr.’s life, and end up getting pulled into the world of the gangster. He doesn’t quite trust them, but pretends to hire them on. Meanwhile, the FBI has found out that Burns may be helping a dangerous terrorist enter the country. Agent Jules Cassidy comes down to Florida to see if he can use Ric and Annie to get close to Burns and figure out a) what’s going on with the alleged terrorist and b) what happened to Peggy Ryan.

But wait; there’s more! The love of Jules’ life, Robin Chadwick, happens to be in town as well, attending a film festival and promoting his new blockbuster-with-Oscar-buzz, Riptide. Robin is both an alcoholic, and firmly in the closet. But he has also come to realize that he is completely in love with Jules. He gets sucked into the intrigue as well, helping in unexpected ways because he’s easy to talk to – and easy to underestimate. All of them cook up elaborate plans and subplans as they try to nail Gordon Burns, and inevitably find that they are in more danger than they realized.

What works best here? Without a doubt, Robin and Jules. Their love story is compelling from the first word. Not only do they share a Brockmann hallmark (the patented botched romance in an earlier book), they have real, significant problems to overcome if they want to be together. Robin is an alcoholic, and there is definitely some fallout from that in this book. He’s also in the closet, and wants to stay there for awhile so he can build his career. The upside is that at least he has admitted to himself that he is gay (something he struggled with in Hot Target). Jules, on the other hand, is definitely out. But as a government employee who is poised for promotion, he could find his career damaged by a high-profile homosexual relationship. The point is, there are some good, believable reasons that Robin and Jules should just go their separate ways, but their love for each other – and every instinct they have - is pushing them toward each other. They are definitely the most romantic and interesting couple in the book, and their love scenes are both tender and romantic.

That’s not to say that Ric and Annie are the worst couple ever to grace the pages of a Brockmann book. They are nice enough, and mostly unobjectionable. There are a couple of problems, though. The first is that they struggle against getting together for no particular reason. Granted, their struggles are pretty feeble. But compared to the tension and believable obstacles that Robin and Jules face, Ric and Annie are pretty ho-hum. They seem to resist their romance purely on principle. Annie’s initial objections are prejudicial and kind of annoying. The other problem is that Ric and Annie are just not that memorable. Ric reads – and talks – like he could be any Brockmann hero. Not a Sam or a Max, but the other generic heroes that everyone forgets. Maybe they’ve stopped thinking of all their kisses as mind-blowing (an over-used term from earlier Brockmann books), but their italicized way of talking definitely gives them a certain sameness. Brockmann is great at guy-speak, but sometimes it just sounds like it’s the same guy. The one who thinks “wouldn’t that be f*cked up?” and “this is so not what I should be doing right now.”

Another Brockmann hallmark is that her secondary characters are great. Sometimes too great. Like better when they are secondary characters than when they actually get their own books. In this book, it’s the black ex-policeman (now lawyer) Martell who really shines. He tells everyone what they should be doing, gives the porn star hilarious nicknames (my personal favorite LOL was “Crazy McF*cked Up), and just generally kicked ass. Also on the plus side here, Sam and Alyssa have little cameos, mostly via e-mail with Jules. It’s just enough to remind you why Sam and Alyssa were so fun in the first place, and it’s definitely a treat for long-time fans. It also makes sense in the story (rather than coming across as a contrived sap to nostalgic fans).

It’s kind of a given that Brockmann likes to deal with themes like racism and diversity in her books. For the most part, that’s a strong point. Brockmann’s characters are all different colors, nationalities, and sexual persuasions, and I think that’s great. What does at times get a little old is all the scenes that seem hand-picked to show that her characters are Not Racist. We get it already. Happily, the scenes between Robin and Jules are just out there with no apologies. That said, if you do happen to be homophobic, this probably isn’t the book for you.

On the whole, I think this is a book that Brockmann’s fans will find worth reading. Ric and Annie may be familiar types, but they’re not unlikable, and the action and danger are more interesting than some of her other recent books (no crazy serial killers). Best of all, the resolution between Jules and Robin was sweet indeed, and definitely pushed this book into the “recommend” category for me.

Reviewed by Blythe Smith
Grade : B

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : August 14, 2007

Publication Date: 2007

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Blythe Smith

I've been at AAR since dinosaurs roamed the Internet. I've been a Reviewer, Reviews Editor, Managing Editor, Publisher, and Blogger. Oh, and Advertising Corodinator. Right now I'm taking a step back to concentrate on kids, new husband, and new job in law...but I'll still keep my toe in the romance waters.
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