Zack Hunter is on a plane, just about to do a skydiving
jump, when the familiar pain hits: guilt; he feels guilty
because he had not accompanied his uncle Jackson, who died
while on an extreme adventure. However Zach is not the rich
playboy on an X-Force Adventure Vacation Company holiday:
he's an undercover cop, albeit officially off the case, but
he's investigating just the same: three men died in three
years
while on extreme vacations, one of them his uncle.
Samantha Steele, a TV news reporter, is waiting for local
businessman and friend, Maxwell Wentworth, to do his
parachute jump; he's on the same plane as Zack's. Zach jumps
first, and comes down a bit quickly with his parachute, he's
about the hit the ground, but Sam's not moving, and he
crashes into her. He makes sure she's alright, they get to
know each other a bit, and then it's time for Maxwell
Wentworth's jump. But something's wrong: the businessman is
not moving and he crash lands heavily; he's dead. Sam rushes
to Wentworth's side, her mother had dated him for a few
years.
Sam still has to do her live report on TV after witnessing
her friend's death, and she barely holds it together. She
soldiers on because she supports her sister and her now
ailing mother; she cannot afford to lose her job. When she's
done, she crumbles and Zach rushes to her side, and holds
her while she cries. Detective Stuart Johnson, a friend of
Sam's, is on the premises, and after talking to Sam and
Zach, they all realise that there is foul play involved;
those deaths were more than sheer bad luck. Detective
Johnson tells Sam she has his blessings to investigate; he
also senses there's more to Zach than a rich man on holiday,
as does Sam. She tells Zach she suspects he's some sort of
investigator, and that she won't blow his cover if he'll be
her partner; Zach doesn't do partners but she doesn't leave
him any choice.
ALIVE AT 5 starts off with a bang and sets the tone for the
rest of the book: the action never lets up; from the first
paragraph, I was drawn into the story. I love all the
characters; they are genuine and whole. The chemistry
between Sam and Zach is palpable, and they acted, talked and
interacted with each other like normal, intelligent people.
Although they are attracted to each other, it's neither love
at first sight nor hate at first sight; no one jumps to
conclusions nor make silly assumptions; it was really nice
for a change.
ALIVE AT 5 is extremely well written, fast
paced, and what a joy it was to experience, even
vicariously, skydiving, scuba diving, and swimming with
sharks! Ms. Bond has crafted a superior romantic suspense,
and Sam, Zach, and Sam's cameraman George make such a fine
team, I dare hope it's the beginning of a series! No
chance of dozing off while reading ALIVE AT 5!
TV news reporter Samantha Steele is one panic attack away from losing her job. Future on the line and cameraman in tow, she follows her mentor on an exhilarating adventure vacation. When he dies while skydiving, her investigative instincts scream "murdered," and lead her to gorgeous thrill-seeker Zack Hunter.
Zack is an undercover police officer investigating his uncle's death through the same adventure vacation company. Samantha is a thorn in his side the moment they meet. Not only is she investigating the same case, but the emotionally wounded loner doesn't want another partner, especially one whose goal is to splash evidence all over the evening news. But Samantha's persistence is quite a turn-on, and Zack's overpowering desire makes it harder for him to push her away.
When the killer turns his attention to Zack, Samantha might be the only one who can save him, forcing the anxiety-riddled correspondent to finally face her greatest fear.
Excerpt
“I don’t really expect you to help me, just give me a cover.”
The feisty reporter continued to glare at him. He groaned in a blast of disbelief. The irony of this situation was not lost on him. If he wanted to remain undercover for real, he had to provide her with a pretend cover. The woman did have balls he had to admit.
He forced a smile. “And if I don’t go along with your plan?”
“I walk right over to my detective friend and tell him my suspicions.” She stared boldly his way, hands on hips, legs slightly apart. “I’ll tell him that Maxwell was killed and you know all about it. That you’re here investigating the other suspicious deaths. I don’t know what agency you’re working for, but Stuart could find out in less than ten minutes, and I imagine you don’t want to blow your cover just yet. Am I right?”
His jaw dropped. “Blackmail? Really? Do you know the penalty for that if I really am a cop?”
She smiled. “Extortion, actually. Well?”
He snapped his jaw shut. He knew very well what would happen if the adventure vacation company knew his real identity, and what his bosses would do if they found out he was still investigating this case after they’d specifically pulled him off it. Wow. She had him. He was impressed, and a little turned on. He ground his teeth. He would agree to her plan, only because he had no choice. He was determined to find and nail the son of a bitch who had killed his uncle.
“All right, fine,” he said. She might lose her job if she didn’t come back with her investigative story. But he would definitely lose his job if she exposed his undercover activities and his family’s private life on the news. So, he would have to keep the nosy reporter under his thumb and under his control. One way or another.
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