RITA Reader Challenge Review

RITA Reader Challenge: Last Man Standing by Cindy Gerard

B+

Title: Last Man Standing
Author: Cindy Gerard
Publication Info: Pocket 2012
ISBN: 9781451606829
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Book Last Man Standing - shirtless man in cam fatigues and no shirt standing with his back to the reader This RITA® Reader Challenge 2013 review was written by Kelly. This story was nominated for the RITA® in the Romantic Suspense category.

The summary:     

Black Ops, Inc. operative Joe Green is determined to bring to justice the man responsible for former team member Bryan Tompkins’s death. He’s convinced the ambush that killed Bryan was no coincidence, but a setup. Unsure of the consequences of the battle he’s about to start, Joe distances himself from both his Black Ops, Inc. team members and the woman he loves, Bryan’s sister, Stephanie Tompkins. But Stephanie knows there must be some reason Joe broke it off, and when she hears Joe’s charged with a murder in Sierra Leone, she wastes no time in breaking him out of prison. Then they must unravel the mystery behind the ambush, and bring resolution to a long-ago betrayal…

And here is Kelly's review:

This was sort of a “bonus” book in the author’s Black Ops Inc series. She had originally planned to end the series after With No Remorse. It can be read as a stand-alone, but I think works better if you have at least read Feel the Heat since the couple in Last Man Standing begin their romance—and actually had an implied HEA—in that book.

Unlike other books in the series, this book centers almost totally around the hero/heroine with characters from the previous books making only a brief appearance at the end. Proof of the villain’s dastardly deeds is too easily obtained, but overall this book is a great blend of suspense and romance.

I also liked the unexpected twist at the end, though I won’t say more to avoid spoilers. While this book is an enjoyable conclusion of the series, it hasn’t really ended since many of the characters have already appeared in the spin-off series, One-Eyed Jacks, and will hopefully continue to do so.  This was easily my second-favorite book in the series (the first one remains my favorite). 

I don't usually grade my books, but I'd put this one at a B+.


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