Publisher: Carina Press
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley
As a hostage negotiator for Taylor Security, Gavin Sheppard has just been given the toughest assignment of his career: securing the release of his boss’s pregnant wife. He’s uneasy negotiating a rescue without the involvement of the police, but with the life of a woman and her unborn child on the line there’s no time to play by the rules. He’ll have to work closely with the one woman who could prove to be a distraction…
Janet Fink, the agency’s tech geek, is conflicted about working alongside the man she’s irresistibly attracted to. Though she’s determined not to risk her career by getting involved with a coworker, especially a superior, she can’t forget the passionate kiss they once shared…
With the kidnappers’ deadline fast approaching, Gavin and Janet must combine their skills to bring the missing woman home alive. But their undeniable chemistry is making it difficult to keep their relationship purely professional…
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I’ve never read Giordano before, but after reading her short story in the Carina Press anthology, I think I’m going to have to look up more of her work. Although this story flew by and seemed to be the fastest read of the anthology, I adored the story.
Gavin and Janet haven’t worked together long, but the sexual chemistry between these two is off the charts. Gavin doesn’t want to risk his executive position with starting a relationship with a junior team member, but there is something about Janet that calls to him. Janet doesn’t want to be fodder for the office gossip girls, but she thinks Gavin might be worth it.
When they are called to work together to rescue their boss’ wife from kidnappers, they get not only their first chance to work together directly, but also spend long hours together in close quarters. While getting their target home safe and alive is their main priority, the feelings between them boil to a point that they can no longer deny.
This novella read very fast, and I wasn’t sure if it was because it was so jam-packed with start to finish action, or if Giordano just has a way of seamlessly telling a story and making the words fly across the page. Either way, this novella went quick, between the non-stop suspense of trying to reason with the kidnappers, and the ongoing sexual tension between Gavin and Janet.
I liked the mini suspense plot of trying to negotiate with the kidnappers. With Gavin’s past, it was obvious he was willing to do anything and everything to negotiate and get their hostage back safely without worrying about lethal force. Although he butt heads with his tactical co-worker, I liked that Gavin was able to keep his cool and figure out the best way to negotiate. Likewise, Janet was a level headed character as well. She knew her technology and knew how to work it to best suit their needs. She seemed to balance out Gavin well, at the office and emotionally.
The sexual tension was Off.The.Charts. These two danced around each other for most of the novella, even taking some time in the middle of their opp for a little nookie. I look forward to hopefully seeing more of these two in future books, because I felt as if we only got to see a small portion of how explosive these two could be together in a relationship. I thought they fit, and that their romance didn’t seem out of place, even though they were on an important job.
All in all this short story was super sexy and the suspense plot was very well done. I always like to find romantic suspense books that are not about military heroes, and Gavin was a wonderful addition to my keeper shelf. I will definitely be picking up both future and backlist books by this author!
I give Negotiating Point a B.
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