Tess Newell is an American journalist searching for the truth. On her quest, she was kidnapped and thrown into an hole and held captive underground. The terrorists holding her have made her escape nearly impossible, but the newest prisoner is a soldier who just might be her ticket out of the ground.

Flynn is a French Legionnaire who was kidnapped by the terrorists. His life as a soldier allowed him to leave the darkness of his past behind and start fresh. As Flynn regained consciousness, he learned that Tess was a reporter and he immediately put his defenses up. Making a rash decision to risk an escape, Flynn and Tess throw caution to the wind and hope for the best. Each having their own reasons for being in the area, they each have to decide if the spark happening between them is worth exploring, or if their individual pursuits are more important.

This book was good overall, but elapsed over three days, making it feel super rushed.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. With two lead characters I liked and supporting characters to keep interest throughout the series. I finished this book and bought book #3 of the series immediately.

This was a 2nd book in a series and while I really liked the first one-this was even better! If you like authors like Kat Martin and Linda Howard, this is a similar genre and feel. It is also very hot with great adventure and suspense.

Gunfire cracked around them.
“Just warning shots,” he yelled.
“How do you know?”
“We’re not dead.”

Edge of Truth by Brynn Kelly was hands-down a must-read for me after I absolutely inhaled Brynn’s debut romantic thriller, Deception Island, last year. I was not disappointed. It doesn’t feel like it when you’re reading it, but the entire story takes place over just two days! It’s extremely fast-paced with lots of deadly action and was intense to the nth degree. The primary players are Tess Newell, a female investigative journalist, and Flynn, a French Foreign Legionnaire.

As the story opens, readers meet Tess who was being held in brutal and squalid conditions by terrorists in Ethiopia. She was targeted and kidnapped by the terrorists because she was prepared to break a whale of an expose on the terrorists and their collusion with some crooked politicians. Shortly after, we meet Flynn as he joins her in their hole-in-the-ground dungeon. Flynn’s an Australian with a past that he wanted to forget. That’s why he joined the French Foreign Legion where he could be anonymous forevermore. Injured, tortured and beaten, their horrendous situation facilitates an alliance of sorts between them. The combination of extreme stress, constant danger and the chemistry between them then quickly evolves their connection into a fiery insta-love.

I really liked both the hero and the heroine. Flynn was hot and sexy and Tess’ character was beyond approach. They both had serious trust issues. Even though they came from different backgrounds, they had much in common which made their attraction more plausible. Flynn’s without question a bona fide hero with a veritable talent for getting out of extraordinarily dangerous situations. Their sexy, touching and funny banter was perfect and much appreciated as it provided some much-needed relief from the relentless tension.

Some of what transpires, I had issues envisioning without multiple miracles. But, hey, this is fiction and it makes for a great story. If I had one complaint, it’s that I craved some downtime between the high-stress scenes which just kept relentlessly coming….

Supporting characters included Flynn’s Legionnaire cohorts who came to assist Flynn and Tess. They each had stories to tell too.

Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Edge of Truth:

“Can you hyperventilate a little quieter?” he whispered.
---

“You promised me a kiss,” she whispered.
“A rash comment in the heat of the moment.” His face was so close she could feel electricity snapping between them.
“I think I’m still feeling that heat.”
She tilted her hips. He groaned. It was enough. His mouth captured hers.
---

“Read it to me.”
“Seriously?” he said quietly. “You want me to read you poetry? Like saving your life ten times wasn’t enough?”
---

He shushed her, laughing. “I’d like to be that spider, if that woman was you.”

Edge of Truth was non-stop, breathtaking and mind-boggling set against a corrupt conspiracy. The story was brutal, fierce and felt realistic. If you enjoy suspenseful edge-of-your-seat all-too-real thrillers with life-changing and likely life-ending consequences, buckle your seat belt tightly and dive into Edge of Truth.

dge of Truth is the first novel I've read by Brynn Kelly, and what an amazing read it was--it gets 5 big stars from this reviewer.

Tess Newell, a renowned American television investigative journalist has been captured, tortured and imprisoned in a festering, stinking hole in the ground somewhere in East Africa--at least that's her best guess as to her location when she comes to after being drugged and kidnapped. She's been trapped there in almost complete darkness for the better part of a week when suddenly an unconscious man is dropped into her small prison. He appears to be in the French Foreign Legion, and Tess tries to tend to his wounds with her meager supplies, but when he finally comes to, his accent keeps changing, making her increasingly suspicious. As soon as he's got his wits about him again, he breaks them out of there and begins one harrowing, dangerous, action-packed escape into the surrounding desert, where they will face terrorists--both foreign and domestic, land mines, gunfire, explosions, and a whole lot more, trying to get to safety so that Tess can finally air the story she's been pursuing--one that will lead her from the terrorists who captured her all the way back to a corrupt U.S. arms manufacturer, and traitors within the U.S. government itself, all while in a race against time before the U.S. starts a war, trying to take out the jihadist group, al-Thawra, which is exactly what the leader of this group wants. Keeping Tess safe has become the focus of the man who broke them out--Flynn, who has dark secrets of his own, and whom Tess doesn't fully trust. His heroics in this novel were very reminiscent of Indiana Jones with a bad attitude and a whole lot of sex appeal.

The action, adventure and suspense in this novel never really lets up, and yet it all takes place within the space of two harrowing and deadly dangerous days. The attraction between these two intrepid characters is fast and intense, and, while in most cases, I'd be complaining about insta-love, Tess and Flynn certainly manage to pack a lifetime of raw living, facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, danger, betrayals, secrets, international intrigue, and excitement into those two days, as they race headlong into a climax so filled with anxiety and angst you'll think that a more apt title for this novel would have been Edge of Your Seat.

Kudos to Ms. Kelly for this incredibly absorbing, exciting and deeply moving read. I cannot possibly recommend it highly enough.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

This was an interesting story of a journalist, Tess, who is being held hostage in a jungle by a terrorist group. Another prisoner, Flynn, arrives, and soon he and Tess have escaped and are on the run. Feelings develop between the two as they try to uncover the conspiracy behind her imprisonment.

This one was a little outside the norm of most of the romantic suspense that I read. The jungle setting and main character being held hostage were different for me. There was lots of action in this fast moving story.

It took me a while to read this book, not because it was bad or boring, but because I liked it so much and was enjoying the characters and all the research so much, I wanted to make the most of it.
Edge of Truth is *everything* I’ve been asking for in romantic suspense for years, all there in one book. I think some of the mixed reaction to it has been because it IS about the suspense, and the setting is everything; no random “terrorist-riddled non-American country” cliché here. The research is fantastic, the author’s obvious local knowledge of Africa makes all the difference, and it’s not all about some hot-guy-romance.
However, the romance IS very strong. Hero and heroine are thrown together right from the outset, and are together more or less without a break for the entire book. Both are captured by a terror group, and both have good reasons for their involvement in the unfolding drama.
Television journalist Tess has been digging into US political connections to the terror group and the war they are trying to provoke. She has world-changing information to get out to the public, but she is trapped, imprisoned.
French Foreign Legion soldier Flynn is hiding some major secrets of his own, but he can’t bring himself to walk away from Tess when he helps her escape her captors.
I’ve been saying I wanted real-world issues in my books, and I always, always appreciate an author who knows her setting inside out. This book created a sense of place more than almost anything I’ve ever read, and that is one of the reasons I’m going to remember it long after more generic suspense books.
Everything about Edge of Truth comes across as relevant to right now, to the corruption and double-sided dealings of many powerful people in world (and especially US) politics.
However, this would all be nothing without the great characters. The Kiwi author manages to create a totally realistic Australian hero and an American heroine. Their relationship is built on desperate situations and a lot of clever conversation. The dialogue is natural and believable.
The story unfolds over only a few days, and yet I bought into the relationship. Perhaps there was a time or two where the focus on the growing attraction between the two might have seemed slightly out of place, but as the book unfolded I realised I was fine with it.
Africa isn’t the most popular setting for Western stories, romances or otherwise, but I strongly encourage readers to bury their fears of the foreign and give this one a go.
I just knew from the first time I read the blurb that this was going to be a book I’d love, and I was correct.

I’ve waited a year to read another book by Brynn Kelly and Edge of Truth doesn’t disappoint. This book is full of action and romantic tension that had me finishing the book in one day. There is just something about the way this author writes that captivates me and pulls me into the story every time, and I can’t wait to read her next book.

Tess Jewell is a journalist who has been kidnapped because the story she was chasing is so big it could topple governments. She has been told she will be executed live on television. Her kidnappers have already tortured her to find out where the proof of her story is hidden.
Flynn is a soldier with the French Foreign Legion, an army that asks no questions about the past lives of it's recruits. They are expendable and sent into places nobody else will go. He was taken by terrorists who want to use him to stir up trouble. Little do they know he will never be claimed by any country.
The danger our protagonists face from the first to the last page will keep you on the edge of seat all the way through. They will battle impossible odds and still find time for an explosive romance.
A very exciting, action packed story.

A suspenseful and romantic story, Edge of Truth delves into the lives of Tess Newell, an American journalist and Flynn, the French Foreign Legion soldier who gets thrown into the cell with her. Together they must free themselves and get the story and evidence that Tess has been investigating out to the public. Both with secrets neither want to reveal, they must learn to trust each other and avoid falling in love. The entire book takes place in the span of just a few days. It's a fast-paced race with vivid descriptions of their surroundings, intrigue and a few sexy moments between Tess and Flynn. Secondary characters add to the story. Though the middle section of the book seemed to slow down some, I enjoyed the reading it and would recommend giving it a try.

Tess Newell is a renowned journalist who has stumbled on the story of the year - its such a good story that it has landed her in a Somalia holding cell captured by a terrorist who is behind the killing of her crew. She ends up being joined by Flynn a French legionnaire who has his own demons and story that he needs to keep from Tess. Though once their lives have been thrown together, no matter how hard they try to break apart from each other the closer they become. Much to both Tess and Flynn's better judgment they have to learn to trust and rely on each other as one of the evilest terrorist cells in Africa come after them. Now on the run - can they survive?

There are parts of this story I really enjoyed - Flynn's backstory was fascinating along with the action of the two main characters running for their lives. Some of the story though was hard to follow and far fetched - which I am ok with in this type of story for the most part. It took the book about 1/4 way through for it to find its footing and once it did I did enjoy it. Then when the members of Flynn's unit joined the fray it got even better with the different personalities and dynamics. The core story of Flynn and Tess was good and they are well-written characters within themselves.

Non-stop, breathtaking, explosive, deadly action mixed with an instant attraction that leads to a romance.

From the very start, the story put me on alert with the cruelty of the circumstances. Brynn Kelly writes action and battle scenes with a fierce edge and realistic consequences.
The abundance of constant action and long fight scenes had me holding my breath, and exhausted. At times it seemed a bit too much happening at once - like several pages were used to describe a minute of action - and it started to be overwhelming, making it difficult to build the images in my mind. Having to go back several times to check what did I just read started to dull the edge of the intensity of the story.
The conspiracy, the political power hoarding behind the events, and the goal of the capture of Tess Newell were eerily realistic and believable.

The spark between Tess and Flynn is hot and fiery. Even when captured they are firing puns and banter, with lustful glances. What they accomplish within the two days is nothing sort of miracle, and the constant fear for their lives and the fear of the future, if they do not succeed in their mission, draws them together and the budding feelings bind them tightly to each other.
I admired their determination to accomplish their mission even while facing the possible death, that they understood the consequences of the stratagem and prioritized the mission to resolve the issues.

Breathtaking and mind-boggling action, deadly and cruel battles, political suspense that chills your bones with its rational, political secrets that need to be exposed yet to accomplish that will expose the personal secrets of the protagonists that will have life changing and even possible life-ending effects. Buckle down, the road to the Edge of Truth is frenzied and violent.
~ Four Spoons

I was excited to start Edge of Truth by (new to me author) Brynn Kelly as I love  action/suspense with a dash of romance. That is exactly what we got with this one. This book was an exhilarating and a "keep you on the edge of your seat" romance. I could not get enough!

Imprisoned in a foreign country and under the threat of execution everyday Tess Newell, an American journalist is looking to escape after discovering some shady political secrets. But what happens when a mysterious and broody man joins her in her cell. Can they work together to escape or does he have his own agenda? 

The action scenes were great and the story was as suspenseful as promised. It was well written and the scenes were very descriptive. I enjoyed Tess and Flynn's banter and back and forth but felt that their romance was very rushed and took a back seat to the action storyline (insta-love esque). As a result, I wished for more of a connection between the two.  All in all this was a great read. I look forward to more books from this author in the future. 3.5-4 stars! ~Ratula

This entire book takes place over the course of two days. Lots of action and insta-love packed into those days.

Tess is an American journalist working on the story of her career in Africa when she is kidnapped and thrown into an underground cell by those she is trying to expose. When a soldier is thrown in with her, hope of escape flickers.

Flynn is hiding secrets of his own. He doesn’t trust Tess any more than she trusts him but they must work together to escape. Once they escape, Tess starts grating on my nerves. She is insistent her way is the only way to do things. She refuses to trust Flynn despite multiple ways he has shown her he can be trusted. Getting her story out is her only priority. And when she does the one thing Flynn asked her not to? Game over. These two are so opposite, it makes it hard to believe they belong together.

The book flows well, with lots of details that draw you further into the story. However, it ended too abruptly for me. I wanted to see more of the fallout from the expose. Even with the suspense, I didn’t feel connected to the characters, main or supporting. I haven’t read the first book of the series and easily read this as a standalone.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley.

A celebrity reporter is thrown into jail in some unknown location in Africa, presumably held by terrorists making a demand. But it appears that Tess has uncovered some secrets of her own, which will probably upend what most people categorise in their black-and-white-worlds of good vs. evil. Her only hope of escape, however, is an edgy, secretive soldier thrown into the same jail cell with her and until the truth emerges, it's best that they stick together since escape is their end game.

While I'd read Brynn Kelly's first book Deception Island with a dose of skepticism, getting an early copy of EDGE OF TRUTH made me excited once again for the shady, spooks and spies kind of story that promises heart-pounding action. To some extent, that is what the story offers.

But if it started out great for me, it fizzled out too soon, only picking up towards the end. Nonetheless, it's well-written, with many detailed, descriptive scenes that amp up the experience of Flynn and Tess making their escape and guaranteed to make your pulse speed up.

For the rest of the time though, I wondered where the narrative was going. There was loads of time spent in the deep POV, which made for exciting action, yet focused so much on sensory experience that I couldn't, after a while, make sense of what was really happening (and lost any sense of time like the characters did), or whether progress was really made in getting to the crux of the story. Dialogue—banter almost—is interspersed with periods of waiting and action, and it took so long getting to the part where Tess finally stopped looking at Flynn with suspicion despite his many attempts at saving her. I'd hope to see more of the fallout after the conspiracy exposed, but the story never quite got there in the end, focusing instead, on the steps that Flynn/Tess took to escape and give the bad guys the runaround.

However, Tess's self-righteous behaviour (mostly consisting of pushing away) annoyed me, as did her insistence that things had to be done only her way while accusing Flynn of having a hero-complex. I hated how she never listened but did things on her own because she was only convinced that only her way would keep everyone safe. Grateful much? This saviour-complex and the secrets she stubbornly strove to keep, supposedly for the good of everyone, crossed the line into TSTL for me long before I could even think of it as bravery. That her willfulness ended up in her also breaking the one thing Flynn asked of her—to leave his past the hell alone because it left him in a world of hurt—made it hard for me to like her at all. It screws up clearly, her efforts gone to waste as Flynn rushes to her rescue…yet again. A hell of a lot happens in 2 days—as though time has been compressed—and there's clearly instant-love at work here, with Flynn seeming to have more of a revelatory experience than Tess and I never quite got the feeling that she returned that sentiment with as much force as he did—that much she prioritized the 'story' above all else.

For me, the long and short of it is, I wished I were more convinced by this story, as well as by a pairing that should have made more sense but didn't. Flynn/Tess weren't entirely believable (or compatible) as a couple but if you're in it more for the suspense and action, then EDGE OF TRUTH would work perfectly.

Journalist Tess Newell never thought she'd escape her imprisonment by a terrorist group that want to make certain she never gets the story she's been investigating on air. But when French Foreign Legionnaire, Flynn, is tossed into her cell, they find themselves working together to break free. Knowing he's her only chance at staying alive, Tess knows she's going to have to trust him, even if he is keeping secrets that could be dangerous if anyone learned the truth. Will they trust each other in order to survive, or will Tess decide that flying solo is the best way to achieve her goal of making sure the public hear her story?

From the moment I finished Deception Island, Ms. Kelly's debut novel, I was really looking forward to her next release, and I've got to say this book does not disappoint. It's an extremely scintillating read that wrapped me up in its spell, which blended a perfect combination of suspense and romance that gripped my attention from the very beginning and held it to the very end. Seriously, this story was one I could not put down. The way this story started had me sympathizing with the heroine's situation, as it's one that wouldn't have been easy. What will happen to her? Will the terrorists follow through on their plans for her?

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to the main characters back stories, what the hero and heroine go through and what the heroine is determined to reveal to the world about the terrorist group holding her. Will she be able to get her message out to the world? How far will the terrorists go to stop her? However, the dialogue wasn't all intense. There was some playful dialogue between the hero and heroine as well as the hero and the secondary characters -- his brothers in arms -- that broke up the intensity of the story and gave me hope that everything would work out for the heroine. That she would no longer have to fear reprisal from the terrorists, if she managed to air her story.

Both the main characters are fantastic, and I loved every moment they were on the run and trying to stay one step ahead of the terrorists. Their journey takes them on an action-packed and wild ride that had me on the edge-of-my-seat at various times throughout. Most especially when things get dangerous enough that I didn't think it possible for Flynn and Tess to escape. However, Tess and Flynn are resourceful and I liked how they could think quick when they needed to find a solution to their troubles. Furthermore, Tess is strong, brave and altruistic. She already blames herself for deaths she wasn't responsible for and she doesn't want any more on her conscience, especially not that of Flynn and his team if anything happened to them. I also liked how determined she was to get her story aired, and that she would go to any length to achieve her goal, even if it meant tricking Flynn so that he was safe. While Flynn, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him when it came to his back story. He does the job he does for redemption and I could understand why, because he never once said a word to help those that were helpless and didn't stand a chance of stopping the person he should have without voicing a truth he didn't want to face. I also liked how protective he was of the heroine, and that he wouldn't allow her to go it alone like she wanted.

Overall, Ms. Kelly has penned an absolutely riveting read in this book where the romance was realistic, intense and completely satisfying, because if anyone deserves to be happy it's these two after what they've been through in the past and what they go through within this story. The way this story ended definitely had me worried for this couple, as they have a serious fight on their hands to stay alive. Will something bad happen to one or both of them? Will anything happen to the other people the terrorist group are threatening? However, I really enjoyed how things worked out between Flynn and Tess and how much he helped her, as she definitely needed his help and his willingness to sacrifice himself the way he does. I would recommend Edge of Truth by Brynn Kelly, if you enjoy romantic suspense, the sexy protector trope or books by authors Heather Graham, Laura Griffin, Cynthia Eden or Brenda Novak.

I did enjoy this book. It was action packed from first page to last. Almost too much action. No down time at all. Constant chase scenes and running from bad guys.

I don't know about you, but if I've been held captive by a terrorist group for a week, I've been tortured and I expect my own very public execution at any moment, when a fellow captive is thrown into my dungeon or cell or whatever, my first thought is not going to be about what a great butt he has. Call me crazy, but, I think I might have other things on my mind.

This book was ridiculous. The relationship was completely unbelievable, and the action was unrelenting to the level of becoming boring (oh, they're getting shot at again? ho hum). The plot made me do a mental double-take several times. The only reason I did not give it one star is that the last, say, quarter of the book improved enough to actually make me sorta maybe care how everything was going to get resolved.

The reviews I have read of this book compared it to works by Jayne Anne Krentz and the like. These authors are all very popular at my library, so I was eager to find a similar author to recommend to my patrons. But I cannot recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book.

2.5*

I have very mixed feelings about Brynn Kelly’s EDGE OF TRUTH. It wasn’t bad per se--not to the point where it was a DNF-- but I didn’t particularly enjoy it either. The description conjured up images of Formula One-paced action, but the reality was more grandma-driving-a-moped. For a book about a journalist captured by an African terrorist group whilst unmasking a massive political conspiracy who’s rescued from an Ethiopian prison by a French Foreign Legionnaire, the story is surprisingly plodding. Seriously, 400+ pages, and it only gets exciting in the last ~40. This is my second lacklustre experience with a Brynn Kelly book, so I think I’ll be giving her work a pass in the future.

A good story that keeps a reader turning pages from the very beginning. The story written as a romance superimposed on a thriller. It reminds me about action movies of 1980s. However, this story is written with a modern twist: conspiracy theory, terrorism, and the fight for power of higher circles--the issues that complicate romance between main figures.