It's an explosive and passionate ride from start to finish in Cindy Gerard's latest installment to the One-Eyed Jacks series. Well-suited as a standalone, TAKING FIRE quickly became a top favorite of mine. With its multifaceted characters and tense storyline, Gerard expertly manipulates the emotions of her characters and readers to deliver a wild ride that will sure to leave an impression.

TAKING FIRE is based all on betrayal. When our heroine, Talia, betrays a man she has fallen in love with for the sake of her organization, it puts Bobby Taggart in a tough situation. Not only did he nearly lose his life, but in the incident, he also loses the love of his life. The betrayal has cut deep and lingers even years after the event. Although I knew right from the beginning a betrayal was going to occur, that didn't stop me from liking Talia. With expertise, Gerard weaves together a believable romance between Talia and Bobby. In the short time it takes to set up the story, Gerard is able to pack more passion into the first few pages of the book than some other books are able to do at all.

I felt all the emotions in TAKING FIRE, from love to lust and to fear and anger. Gerard covers all the bases with this one. So in addition to the heart-stopping action and suspense of this novel, you get an emotional journey as well. This perfect balance is what makes Cindy Gerard the queen of Romantic Suspense. No one else does it like her. So do yourself a favor and pick up this book, I guarantee you, you won't be able to put it down. TAKING FIRE is guaranteed to take your breath away.