This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

As we reach the end of the year I realise there are several books which I started during 2021 (sometimes I started them for the second time) but never finished. They remain on my Netgalley shelf and I'd rather feedback my thoughts than ignore them and pretend they are not there.

So in an attempt to sping clean (in December) I am sharing my thoughts on the titles I didn't finish and which I will not be reviewing on my blog.

I am afraid The Freedom Broker was a book where I found it dificult to get lost in the story in the way I hope for. I have started this book more than once since I was first granted permission to read it, however, both times I started reading I was subsequently distracted away from continuing by other titles and I didn't return so lost the plot threads.

While I had thought this book would be one I would enjoy (and is why I requested it) I am afraid it just didn't click. Apologies but this one wasn't for me.

The Freedom Fighter is a fast paced thriller full of excitement, danger and suspense which I look for in a good book.

This book takes us on quite a journey through London, Greece , Columbia and Nigeria.

I simply loved the character of Thea Paris, a kidnapping and rescue expert, one tough lady whose brother, Nikos, was kidnapped twenty years previously. Although Nikos was recovered nine months later, he was never the same after that and Thea discovers that she was supposed to have been the target.

Twenty years later Thea's worst nightmare is revisited when her father, oil magnate Christos Paris, is taken on his sixtieth birthday, only days before the biggest deal of his career.

A page turner that kept me interested throughout and turning the pages...... highly recommended.

A really enjoyable action thriller that I was pleased to read and find out there will be another instalment!

The action is non stop and well described - I felt like I was there (which is always a good sign). You could just imagine this translating to the big screen.

Really looking forward to reading the next in the Thea Paris series.

This book was full of intrigue and was a great read. Betrayal within a family which made it unputdownable!

Thea Paris is an all-action heroine who negotiates the release of people kidnapped for money or for political gain. Her father is the oil magnate, Christos Paris, and she has an older brother Nikos who was himself kidnapped when he was twelve and held for 9 months; Thea was there when the kidnap occurred but at only eight was so frightened she was unable to raise the alarm and so she bears a heavy burden of guilt for what happened to Nikos during his captivity.

Christos is on the brink of the biggest oil deal of his life when things take an unexpected and tragic turn. Thea and her second in command Rif are in full combat mode as they seek to understand what is going on and who can be trusted. In fact, no one can be trusted as they soon learn especially when the body count starts to rise.

Set in the fictional country of Kanzi on the edge of Zambia and Zimbabwe this is a real stunner of a thriller where the action never ceases and the tension rises to critical mass. Everyone has an axe to grind and old quarrels which simmer just below the surface rise to explode with shocking cruelty and violence.

The plot has so many twists and turns it makes you dizzy and the suspense just keeps on building to a dramatic conclusion which leaves things fully open for a sequel.

Altogether a very satisfying read from an author who is in full command of her writing skills.


Pashtpaws


Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to have read this great offering. This is the first Thea Paris novel, and I feel that the author has set a definitive benchmark regarding the future of this series. Worth your time and effort!

An utterly enthralling book from start to finish. If you like action adventure, but fancy a little something different, this is definitely for you.

Prepare yourselves for a lot of Eeeeeeek’s and OMFG’s peeps as this book has me sooooooo excited, you may actually hear me squeal!

Set in various parts of the world, such as Nigeria, Columbia, Greece and the main HQ in London, The Freedom Broker has the reader facing kidnapping, survival, guilt, anger, revenge, denial, betrayal and family relationships – of a semi dysfunctional sort!

The plot was unrelenting, riveting and kept me hooked from the get go. I love it when a book has my heart racing and adrenaline pumping all the way throughout! You know those kind of books where the storyline has you racing through the pages, where you forget to breathe until you reach those points that completely throw you into a meltdown ….yeah…THAT! The narrative, research and descriptions were believeable and so well written, I felt like I was right there in the thick of it all with Thea. A-MAZE-ING!

Those one or two of you that follow my blog, will know how much I just love my characters! Whether I like or dislike them, if they are well written and manage to get themselves under my skin, leaving an imprint that makes them unforgettable…well, I will follow their journey. Thea Paris is one of those characters! Thea has her own battles and secrets, but is a strong, kick-ass female lead. LOVE that! She is a negotiator – intelligent, loyal, courageous and totally badass; resilient, fierce and also vulnerable – this is one lady who can “have my six” any time! (google it)

Rif Asker was another great character. A childhood family friend, he sees things others might miss. Objective but extremely protective of those who he cares about. At first, I didn’t really know what to make of him, but as the story progressed, his character really came into its own.

Nikos, Nikos…Nikos. Wow! Now this character fascinated me. I was completely torn between loving and loathing him. The revelations were mind blowing and his devotion to his sister unquestionable…but OMFG…I would NOT want to tick this guy off!

The final character I want to mention (but let me be clear, there are oh so many I could have mentioned) is Gabrielle Farrah. Initially I didn’t find her memorable at all- a government agent, I thought she was a bit…well…typical, I guess. But the author worked her magic and turned this character into one that really made me root for her.

Although this is a fast-paced, kickass thriller, there is also just a hint….a tease…of romance wafting in the air, which to me added just one more exceptional dimension to the characters, the theme(s) and the storyline overall. It was clear that KJ Howe did her research making this debut one of my #TopReadsof2017!

So do I recommend this book? OMFG….did you read my review? I absolutely, unequivocally and most definitely am saying HELL YEAH! If you are looking for a debut novel that reads like a pro wrote it – I suggest you head over to amazon and grab a copy of The Freedom Broker now! Oh, I also had the pleasure of meeting KJ Howe and her awesome husband at Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Festival this past weekend. We talked books, writing and Thrillerfest- I loved that she spent the time chatting with me – an inspiration – and an experience I won’t forget!

PACKED WITH ACTION & THRILL - SET AMIDST INTERNATIONAL K & R:
This is a remarkable debut novel by K J Howe. The storyline is based around the rapidly expanding crime of International Kidnap and Ransom (K & R). Specialists in this field are few and the major character in the novel, Thea Paris, is one. Little does she know that her expertise will be tested to the full when a close member of her family is abducted. The subject matter has been excellently researched by Ms Howe and is educational as well as containing an intriguing and original plot. Action abounds and the reader is kept guessing right till the end as to who the perpetrator of the abduction is.
Thea Paris is a diabetic: a medical problem which she has kept secret from her employer Hakan, owner of Quantum, the world's largest private company specialising in K & R. The novel points out some of the daily problems faced by diabetics (Thea has Type 1) which as a fellow sufferer I could readily identify with.
Intelligently plotted and containing realistic characters, The Freedom Broker is a must read when it hits the bookshelves. An excellent debut thriller packed with action and intrigue.

Enrettaining, fast paced but, ultimately , somewhat silly thriller. Our main protagonist is Thea Paris ( please ) who is an expert at resolving kidnap and abduction cases. Inevitably she is young,tough, beautiful etc. and is part of a team of experts who are also young, tough handsome etc. The plot involves the kidnap of her father who, of course, is a billionaire. Everybody in the book is rich, attractive and talented so the good and bad are balanced out.. Lear jets are on hand for quick travel and money is no object to anyone in the story.
So it is exploding a stratum that perhaps 1% of the world has experienced so it is very difficult to relate to the actions. of good and bad guys.
I think it best summed up by some JZ lyrics -
" So we live life like a video
Where the sun is always out and you never get cold
And the champagne's always cold
And the music's always good
And the pretty girls just happen to stop by in the hood"
The book is certainly readable but the constant excess all areas make it stretch credibility to breaking point, and beyond

“The Freedom Broken” by J K Howe follows a story of Thea Paris – a kidnap negotiator, desperately trying to save her kidnapped father. Of course, there is much more to the story than this. Peeling a layer after layer helps us uncover the truth behind the horrific occurrence. Present, past... they're all intermingled.
I don't want to say too much, as the book is full of surprises and revealing too much too soon might spoil the fun. What I am going to say, though is that “The Freedom Broker” is a fun, captivating, action-packed read. To me, it wasn't one of those life changing books. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it. J. K. Howe is a great writer and I am full of admiration for her knowledge of weapons and military procedures. The book feels very realistic and characters come to life on the pages. Definitely recommended! Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for a super exciting weekend with this book!

This story was fun and action packed.
Unfortunately it was also silly in places and just too long which spoilt the enjoyment.

Just finished The Freedom Broker by K J Howe and I'm delighted to be introduced to the intriguing world of kidnapping and ransom. The main character Thea is tough, smart and works in a mainly male dominated business. She is one of the best K & R negotiators but her skills are tested to the limit when her billionaire father is kidnapped. A stunning debut novel that introduces a new breed of character to a wanting audience. The action is fast paced and takes place in stunning locations from Athens and Santorini to the deserts and jungles of Africa. Thea Paris deserves more adventures.

THE FREEDOM BROKER



From the very beginning, I thought that this would be the sort of book I was going to really enjoy – sadly however, that did not turn out to be the case.

The action (while initially exciting) morphed into a mishmash of fantastical feats of derring-do; and at times, frankly unbelievably carried out.

As a previous member of a uniformed service, I found it hard to accept the premise that Rifat would be allowed to continue in an operational capacity after his refusal to abort the initial mission.

I also found the prose at times reminiscent of a Mills & Boon type romance:-

“His hand returned, sliding up her inner thigh. Excitement shot through her body. He made her feel animated, adrenalized. She should resist, ……”

In summary, I found that I really didn’t care about the characters, or what was going to happen, and did not finish the novel at all.

I don’t know whether the e-book supplied to me is the version for public purchase, but there were a variety of formatting issues. Viz:

 Each chapter was in a very large, bold font; followed by date and time in normal sized, bold font, followed by the first letter (in Upper case) of the subsequent paragraph – with the actual paragraph starting in the correct position, but minus the first character
 Most of the text is formatted as justified, but there are several sections where all the text is aligned left.
 There are nine sporadic instances of the authors’ name in the format “K . J. Ho w e” appearing between paragraphs.
 There are also four similar instances of the book title in the format “ T he F reedom Broke r”
 There is one occasion of two words being run together:- “chinesemanufactured”

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read The Freedom Broker in advance for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. When Thea Paris's was just 8 years old she watched helplessly as her brother Nikos was abducted, he was returned 9 months later but Thea was never the same afterwards and now she is all grown up and is now a top kidnap negotiator. Now 20 years later her father, Christos has been kidnapped but there is no ransom request and it is up to Thea with the help of her childhood friend Rif Asker to find out what the kidnapper wants and bring Christos home. This is an excellent read that you just won't be able to put down full of twists hope it won't be too long for the next book!

Paris is a kidnap specialist. She's good. But she's got to be even better when the victim is her dad. Heroic, fit, fearless and diabetic can she overcome the emotions she's hidden from her brother's kidnapping over 20 years ago. Full of adrenaline thrills, this is a roller coaster read.

Great read with plenty of action and twists and turn with every new page.

Thea Paris is part of an elite group, trained to bring back hostages safely, by negotiation or other more direct means. Her brother was kidnapped as a child, and even though he returned home safely, it affected the whole family. Thea has devoted her life since, to making sure others don't go through what her brother had to endure.

Her father, Christos, is the head of a billion dollar oil company, and that brings unwanted attention alongside all the trappings of wealth. When he's kidnapped in the run up to some crucial negotiations over a new oil strike, Thea's abilities are put to the test in a bid to uncover who has taken him and why, when there's no ransom demands.

Freedom Broker is a pacy thriller with no shortage of action for all you adrenaline junkies out there. In Thea, we've got an interesting, complicated character, who struggles to let her guard down with those who ask for her trust. The plot itself was little predictable in places, and missing a genuine sense of danger at times. I realise that may sound like a contradiction, with the excess of action, but I mean that in the same way we never expect James Bond or Jason Bourne to come a cropper, so perfect for fans of that type of action/intrigue.

This is an intense, fast paced book, full of action on every page. Gunfights, explosions, fires, lots of helicopters and a race against the clock to rescue a hostage... this book definitely couldn't be classed as boring! There are some interesting insights into the job of Hostage negotiators along the way, and the various geographical locations are played out vividly in my mind. As the book progresses, we get answers to our questions in the form of yet more questions, the story creating layer upon layer of intrigue and giving plenty to think about in the rare breaks I had while reading.