I'm a big fan of M. L. Buchman's Night Stalkers series which
features the pilots and crew of SOAR as they fall in love
while saving the world. The series has also introduced us
to President Peter Matthews whose staff is now featured in a
series of related novellas, the latest of which is FRANK'S
INDEPENDENCE DAY.
Frank Adams is the Head of the U.S. Secret Service. It's his
job to protect the president. He does not hesitate to risk
his own life, though he would prefer to avoid helicopter
rides whenever possible. Frank grew-up in a rough
neighborhood, taking care of himself after his mother's drug
overdose. Frank is headed for a career as a carjacker, and
probably prison, when he and his crew try to lift the BMW of
a woman who turns the tables on him by pulling a gun and
forcing him into the car. She's about to change his life
but not in the way he fears.
Beatrice Ann "Beat" Belfour, newly minted Secret Service
Agent, sees potential in this well-organized and smart car
thief. She thinks he has the skills to make an exceptional
secret service agent. Before he knows it, Frank is in
training and falling for Beat in spite of all the obstacles.
Twenty-five years later, Beat, on the job in volatile West
Africa, goes missing and Frank will stop at nothing to make
sure she makes it home.
FRANK'S INDEPENDENCE DAY is one of those books that I need
to sit with for a bit and re-read now that I know how it
ends in order to appreciate the nuances. Mr. Buchman tells
the story, a non-traditional romance paired with a
high-stakes diplomatic crisis, by alternating between the
past when Frank and Beat met and the present threat. I
wasn't sure where their relationship stood in present time
which kept me reading and wondering where it was all headed.
In FRANK'S INDEPENDENCE DAY, Mr. Buchman strikes the right
balance between the relationships in the story with the
political world they inhabit. I liked Frank's conversations
with the President almost as much as I liked his
interactions with Beat. The loving and commitment between
all of them is evident within the context of the political
threats they face.
FRANK'S INDEPENDENCE DAY is a smart and unusual romance
which will please fans of the Night Stalker series. While
this works well as a standalone story, I think readers will
appreciate the characters more if they've read the earlier
books in the story (no hardship, since I think they are
awesome!).
Name: Frank Adams
Job: Head of U.S. Secret Service
Presidential Protection Detail
Name: Beatrice Ann "Beat" Belfour
Job: U.S. Secret Service Agent:
Specialist in African Security
SOMETIMES LOVE ITSELF IS
WHAT SAVES YOUR LIFE!
Agent "Beat" Belfour comes under fire when trapped on
the wrong side of a coup in the West African country of
Guinea–Bissau. A routine diplomatic assignment shifts
to place the Ambassador's life in her hands.
Frank Adams' only weapons to save her are: the
President's strategic skills, the dedication of the U.S.
Army Night Stalkers helicopter regiment, and a past history
with "Beat" that changed his life and his heart.