With book one of this novella series ended, it really left off at a cliff hanger. So naturally I had to know what happened next and here we are. This whole series appears to be mostly novellas though I think the other two books (books 3 and 4) are separate standalone novellas, books 1 and 2 are connected. Honestly I don’t know if I would have kept reading the series if it hadn’t ended on a cliff hanger. While I adore Laura Griffin and basically anything she writes, I don’t love novellas.
Novellas are really a challenge for me. They seem to work better as filler stories between larger books or between established characters. For example if there had been a novella about Elizabeth LeBlanc FBI agent and Derek in the Tracer books. But having novellas with new characters without established back stories is pretty hard in my opinion.
But Griffin is so talented at writing intense thrillers full of interesting facts, angles, and plots that I couldn’t pass up just one more book by this author! But that said I am not sure I will continue with books 3 and 4 of this series. I enjoyed my time with Emma and Ryan but novellas just feel too underdeveloped for me. That said this was a good read and it had a solid conclusion that left me feeling satisfied but also wanting more if that makes sense. Allow me to elaborate!
Summary
The scorching-hot romance between Emma and Ryan that began in At the Edge: Alpha Crew Part One concludes in Part Two of this sexy, suspenseful adventure!
Ryan had one job: keep Emma safe at all costs. But after a night of passion, Emma takes off and Ryan soon realizes he’s not the only one looking for her. Can he figure out who’s after the beautiful government aide, and why, before she falls into the wrong hands… if she hasn’t already?
Emma’s fighting to get justice for her fallen comrades, but she can’t do it alone. She needs Ryan’s help, but that means trusting him–and dealing with the out-of-control desire blazing between them. Can there be any future for a marked woman and a man trained to kill? She hopes they live long enough to find out…
Don’t get spoiled! Be sure to read At the Edge: Alpha Crew Part One before devouring this sizzling romance! (summary from Goodreads)
Review
In the beginning of book one, I really really loved the premise of this story. It takes place in a faraway land with a dangerous political landscape and I loved getting to explore that in at least some detail over the course of two books. Griffin always writes such thrilling mysteries and I was naturally drawn into this one without much trouble. The romance between Emma and Ryan was hot and sexy (more so than in some of her other full length books) but then that was about it. I felt like we were only scratching the surface of what could have been a really well developed story as well as a more established romance between Emma and Ryan. I know this novella ran two parts which would normally make this mostly a full length book (each book is about 150-160 pages) but for me it felt lacking in development.
I would have liked to have seen a few more twists and turns. Griffin is known for the surprising twists at the end and for me this one lacked some of that shine that I have seen in her other books. If you are a novella fan and like the short and sweet and to the point-ness of novellas you will no doubt like this book and probably the whole series but for me I just like more in the way of character development and room for the romance and story to grow. When I look at the book like it’s intended to be looked at (and in this case both books) I can appreciate that Griffin wrote a good mystery and romance but for me I like just ‘more’.
It wasn’t that this was a bad book or series etc. It’s just that maybe novellas just aren’t for me. I picked this book up thinking it would be a full length novel and then quickly found that book 1 and 2 were both novellas. I was invested enough to.continue reading the two books here but I don’t know that I am in love with novellas and likely won’t read the other two in this series. I think I will just stick with her full length novels for now on. If novellas are your thing, Griffin is a solid writer so give this series a go but if you like longer books maybe pass in favor of one of her others!
Book Info and Rating
Kindle Edition, 114 pages
Published March 28th 2016 by Pocket Star
ASIN B014PUR378
Review copy provided by personal collection. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: novella, thriller, romantic suspense
The Lit Bitch 