Emma Wright, the assistant to the wife of the US ambassador in the Philippines, is accompanying her boss on a humanitarian mission when they are force to make a crash landing in the middle of the jungle. The pilot barely had time to send a distress signal, he is still barely alive, and Emma feels she has no choice but to try to find help somehow. The Alpha Crew -- an elite and secret SEAL team -- had received the SOS, and they're on it. The Crew were already investigating shady dealings in the area, and they could proceed quickly. Team leader Ryan Owen had seen a picture of Emma, and like every other man, thought her very fetching but it was the determination he saw in her eyes that captured his attention, and he didn't know how right he was!

ALPHA CREW: THE MISSION BEGINS is an ebook reprint of the first two instalments in the Alpha Crew series, and I think it was a great idea to have them in one book, as book 2 THE EDGE OF SURRENDER is a direct continuation of AT THE EDGE. I can hardly imagine how it must have been for readers to have to wait for the second instalment, as book 1 had a cliffhanger that could be interpreted two ways. For this review, I will not necessarily distinguish between the two books unless relevant.

THE MISSION BEGINS is as action-packed as romantic suspense novels come. The story unfolds quickly, while being chockfull of pertinent details, and Laura Griffin doesn't rehash anything. I love it when an author deems her readers intelligent enough not to repeat herself needlessly. I loved Emma! She is so easy to relate to: she's a beautiful, but ordinary woman: fit, but not Ironman fit; resourceful and quick-thinking; an ideal heroine for a romantic suspense. Ms. Griffin paints a vivid picture of the jungle, the heat, the humidity, the rain, and I felt I experienced the whole adventure vicariously. Some details were truly inspired, such as when Emma and Ryan have to resort to creatively get things done with little money. Ryan's muscles are not for titillation either: we are shown that those muscles serve very real purposes; his fit person is not simply convenient eye candy to have the female lead drool endlessly.

In AT THE EDGE, obviously Ryan and Emma meet amidst danger and they are not out of the woods, so to speak, but in EDGE OF SURRENDER, the Crew and Emma are still looking for what really happened with the plane crash, and this is a riveting story indeed. Ryan and Emma also realise that their attraction owes to more than the danger they faced together previously. I loved that the romance itself was relatively drama-free; Ryan and Emma behaved like the adults they are, and the sex scenes were just right and did not intrude on the suspense. The dialogues are easy and natural, the story is solid and tightly plotted, and the writing is smooth and polished.

I had several books waiting for me, and for some reason this book seemed to be calling to me. Laura Griffin was a new author to me, and ALPHA CREW: THE MISSION BEGINS was a fantastic introduction!