Made it to chapter 6 and can say I don't really have a need to finish it. Doesn't do much for me.

The sexual tension/chemistry (so far to ch. 6, but it should still be pretty evident erotic, action/suspense, interracial, PNR, sci-fi - and this book just lacks the sexual tension I look for. Maybe it develops later in the book, but really shouldn't I be feeling it from the get-go? Nothing grabs me; I don't care if h makes it to Colombia, I don't care if they get shot at, I don't care if they suddenly start to ravage each other at this point.

The writing seems hurried and the action too rushed, a lot of things going on with a lot of different characters, trying too hard to set up plot and future plots/books, jumping from our lead couple to secondary characters before we even have a chance to have something besides some supposedly snappy dialogue between H and h.

I'm not a hard person to please; I read and enjoy most any book but there needs to be something there for me to care about. This one I don't care if I pick it back up once I lay it down, and that tells me all I need to know.

Living on the Edge March 1st, 2011

4 ½ stars

This fast paced thriller starts out explosively, as sexy body guard and Edge mercenary, Sloane Gideon finds herself in trouble!!

Sloane Gideon is on the job, protecting her client when the sexiest man in a tux purposely strides toward them with a gun. She is able to protect her client and disappear but is soon surprised to find the same man stalking her at the airport. And while Sloane finds this stalker undeniable sexy, she is on a dangerous mission to rescue her former school mate in Columbia. But what she doesn't know is that this mysterious man is a `friend' of her father. His name is Lucas. He has been asked by her father to stop her from flying to Columbia. However, Sloan keeps surprising him by escaping. And Lucas finds himself admiring her even as she knocks him down!

I loved Sloane's and Lucas's first meeting. The attraction between them sizzles from the first page and both are at the top of their game. As a result, they are well matched pair and make a deadly duo. However, Lucas is reluctant to hurt Sloane. As a result, she uses this to her advantage when evading him. The interplay between them is thrilling and lively to read. I really liked them both. It was fun to read Sloane keeping Lucas on his toes. I also enjoyed this book because Sloane is a strong confident woman. And while Lucas is a cool, alpha male, he does not totally try to dominate her like many military romance heroes do. The best part about Lucas besides his sexiness is that he seemed more realistic and genuine than most heroes, too. I really felt he respected Sloane. I also enjoyed the quiet moments when the two of them were together which really made me feel like they were a caring couple.

This is an extraordinarily exciting suspense with strong and easy to care for characters. The best romantic suspense I've read this year. I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Steph from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

Shannon K Butcher returns to the world of contemporary suspense with a bang. For me this is the genre Ms Butcher shines in though I do like her sentinel series.

Lucas has one last favor to do for his old boss and mentor so that he can retire and leave his soldier career behind. All he has to do is make sure Sloan doesnt catch a plane to Colombia. Sounds simple until he realizes Sloan is the General's daughter and the fact that she fights almost as well as he does.

Sloan has resented her father for most of her life. He's ignored her desire to train to be a soldier and has left her no choice but to work as a mercenary for the group Edge where she can be and do all the things she's always wanted. Her skills will come in handy since her childhood friend is in danger. Sloan is going to Colombia to save Gina and she'll need Lucas' help.

I must say that this was a huge page turner and watching these two characters interact was perfect. This is sure to be loved by fans of military type romance.