There are times when we finish a book super enthusiastic only to realize a few days later that it wasn’t as good as first thought. That’s what happened with Threat of Danger.

On the negative side the start is really slow in setting the characters and the plot, there are repetitions in the characters’ thoughts, and I didn’t really felt love arise between Derek and Jess. Attraction yes, mixed memories too, some measure of past love, but not really why they would still be in love when they didn’t see the other in ten years.
I also really disliked the heroine’s mother. How can she tell her daughter who was abducted, tortured, and raped, that if she hadn’t gone in the woods with her boyfriend nothing would have happened to her? The crappy explanation about how it was to avoid blaming herself for not watching out better for her daughter didn’t work with me. Fortunately we don’t see a lot.
And then the love scene in the woods in winter when they’ve almost drowned in a freezing river 3 minutes before just made me roll my eyes (but not as much as when characters have sex when they are chased by a killer).

On the positive side I liked the heroine, she learned how to overcome what happened to her to create a new Jess strong and confident. Yes the fact of coming back where she was abducted have a lot of buried memories arise and she has several moments of psychological weakness, but frankly with what happened to her it’s only understandable. I liked the fact that this time we don’t have any glimpse in the bad guy’s thoughts, he was a complete surprise, and I was hooked by the long final action scene which is the reason I ended the book so enthusiastic.
And the fact we have explanations about maple syrup (the main characters’ parents have maple farms) had tons of childhood memories raise and I almost read the book in Odorama. 

All in all I preferred this one to the first of the series, Silent Threat (they can easily be read as standalones), but in spite of its positive points I wasn’t lastingly thrilled.

I’m really not sure about this new series of Dana Marton.
First there’s this thing about choosing characters that have non typical jobs.
Then the internal too long monologues in the hero’s mind. Maybe I don’t like author heroes...

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first read from Dana Martin and now I feel like I need to check out some of her other books. I enjoyed this story, which is part of the Mission Recovery series but is a completely stand-alone book. I really liked the writing style and would say the author steered clear from most romantic suspense cliches.

The heroine is just that. Jess is a survivor and she grew to be a fighter after her trauma. I appreciated that she wasn't reckless or acting lack a "lone wolf with nothing left to lose." In the end, she saved herself and got her HEA. The hero was also a stand-up guy. Derek was an all-around good guy and only wanted for the nightmare to end for Jess. He was supportive and thoughtful and was not a super alpha-male trying to hold Jess back. I liked their chemistry and am pleased with the ending.

The villain was a little disappointing. I could guess who he was as I went through the book. But his lead up and backstory were a little anticlimactic. At least the final showdown made up for it.

This is the second book in the Mission Recovery series but can easily be read as a stand alone. I enjoyed the first book but I LOVED the second one in this series. This story centers around ex-seal and author Derek and Hollywood stunt woman Jess who have a history. Derek was the first love and first sexual experience for Jess but that was swept aside when the two were kidnapped and held captive for 3 days while Jess was beaten and raped while Derek could do nothing to stop it. Ultimately, Derek got free and carried Jess out but she still thinks of him as the person who saw her at her weakest and lowest point. The town was less then supporting with some going so far as to say the couple made it up for attention so Jess leaves town to live with her aunt in California and Derek joins the Navy.

This book really starts ten years later when Jess returns home to help her mom who broke her hip. She has no plans to stay and wants to get in and out quickly with as few reminders of the past as possible. When she learns that Derek moved home it makes this impossible. When Jess finds out that another girl has gone missing she and Derek convinced that the killer is still on the loose.

Jess is stand offish in the beginning and still harbors a lot of anger but as she spends more time in town and with Derek she begins to let go of the anger and face her past. Jess was a very strong character who was easy to admire and root for. Derek who still feels guilty for not escaping earlier and not being able to protect Jess is also facing the past and desperately wants to keep Jess safe while he tries to draw the killer out. Derek was a great hero with compassion, strength and a sense of humor that the reader got to see just when a break from the suspense was needed.

I loved both Jess and Derek and was drawn into their story immediately. Although I was pretty sure I knew who the villain was there was still plenty of suspense and a few likely suspects. The author also gave us the POV of the villain in just the right moments making it all the more creepy.

The chemistry between Jess and Derek is immediate and felt and I really enjoyed that this was seen through their actions not inner monologues. This was definitely a case of show me vs tell me (which I am a big fan of). Jess is a bit leery of her feelings for Derek and not sure they can move past their history but Derek knows he wants Jess and is willing to do whatever it takes to get another chance with her.

This book had everything I look for in a romantic suspense: strong, likable characters, chemistry and a wonderful romance, edge of your seat suspense, action, strong secondary characters and a plot that was gripping. I highly recommend this book for fans of the genre!

Dana Marton is one of my favorite authors for romantic suspense. She does a great job of balancing the suspense AND the romance in her books - which is good because I want both! But Threat of Danger was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

Derek and Jess endured a horrific event when they were younger. They each coped in different ways: he joined the Navy and became a SEAL, she became a badass stuntwoman. Now, ten years later, by all accounts both seem to be doing well. At least on the outside.

When Jess gets a text from her mother that she’s in the hospital, Jess goes home for the first time in years. She’s hoping for a quick in-and-out visit. Which doesn’t happen. Things get complicated quickly when Derek shows up, and then another missing girl is discovered dead. Perhaps their abductor isn’t as dead as everyone presumed…

As Derek and Jess spend more time together, long dormant feelings are resurrected, along with a whole bunch of danger.

I love second chance romances. But in order for them to work for me, I need to understand what the hero and heroine meant to each other, I need to know what went wrong, and I need to feel their anguish about being separated. It would also be great if I could get all that pretty close to the beginning of the book. And with Threat of Danger, I don’t feel we really get any of that.

The plot technique where an author doles out bits and pieces of the couple’s past rarely works for me - maybe because I’m a little impatient, but maybe because it’s an extremely difficult way to write a story so that the right bits and pieces are revealed at just the right time, so as to build suspense but also keep the reader interested. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me this time. At 40 percent into the book, you know a little about what happened after Derek and Jess were abducted, but only a little. I don’t know what the depths of their feelings were for each other before, or now. And instead of it building suspense, I had a hard time holding my interest in the story. Something exciting needed to happen, and at that point there was mostly filler - introducing all the characters (there were a bunch - I loved them all, especially best friend Pam!), talking about Jess’s job, the maple syrup farm she grew up on, dealing with her mother’s injury and recovery and moving furniture and trips to the hospital and how long will she need to stay and on and on…. If this is a romance, I need more interaction with the hero and heroine!

Finally, at 46 percent the suspense part of the story arrives. It has nothing to do with Jess and Derek’s relationship, but at least it woke me up and got me interested in still reading! From then on, I had a hard time putting this book down. It became the type of book I expect from Dana Marton, with its quick pace, excellent dialogue and clever plot. She even surprised me with who the bad guy was!

I loved both Jess and Derek - as themselves. Jess is strong and determined, and Derek is kind and caring to everyone around him. But I still had a hard time seeing this as a second chance love story. Which is what I was expecting to read, because that’s what was in the synopsis. For once, I would have liked a little more internal monologue that revealed how they felt, what they were thinking. We know Jess had been pining after Derek for years, but what made him finally give her a chance? I don’t really need details about their abduction, but I do want to know how they felt and what they thought. We do get some of that, but only a couple of sentences at the end of the story. That they then declared their love so quickly after not seeing each other for ten years didn’t feel like the triumphant reunion of two people who belong together.

So yeah, really mixed feelings about this one. The first half took me a couple days to read (whereas I usually plow through romantic suspense in under 24 hours), but the last half was good. Also, I'm a little confused why this book is part of a series - a single, short paragraph about the couple from the first book is all that connects these two books. Seems like these books should just be stand-alones. At any rate, so this book wasn’t a solid hit for me, but it did manage to pull things off at the end. Ms. Marton is still one of my favs, and I’ll definitely be watching for the next book in this series.

* thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

4 Star

I was pulled right into this story. The story has laughs, secrets, suspense, danger, and heartbreak.

If you have not read the below I would recommend reading those books(s) first
Silent Threat (Mission Recovery #1)

This is Jess and Derek’s story. Jess and Derek were in love and together years ago but after a kidnapping and escape they were there separate ways. She is stronger then she was and happy with her life. When she is called home for a family emergency she knows she will see Derek again. The feelings are still there but can they risk a second chance? Derek wants his second chance but will it bring them back into danger? Just when they finally have each other back is the past about to come back for them? With a killer out for them is it safe to continue to want to be together?

I was able to connect with the characters and the story was a great read.

I recommend this book.

What a rush. This author gives us a story that is full of twist and turns and a navy seal. What more can a girl ask for. There are also a couple of steamy scenes but the best thing is the story. There is a high level of intensity as well as intrigue and suspense with a wonder twist. Her characters include strong females which is always a plus when there's this kind of action. Jess finally comes home and while she has moved on the past still haunts her and then there's Derek. He hadn't gotten enough of her when everything went down the toilet and now he would make sure he kept her safe.

Derek is what we all want in a man and Jess is what we all want to be, strong, passionate, independent, loyal and loving. This author pours it all into these two. A couple you want to see succeed against all odds. Love this author's style and her stories too.

What a read about two people, Derek and Jess, who had one time together as teenagers until an incident drove them apart. Jess had a crush on Derek growing up, they were friends and both had wanted more, until she left. She’s back now ten years later and so is Derek, he’s a writer now after leaving the SEAL’s and she is Hollywood’s top stuntwoman. She’s stronger than ever before and so is he, both no longer vulnerable, innocent teens and the strength they both have grown into, they will both need when a kidnapper and killer thought to be dead shows up to finish the job.
What an amazing read with a bit of steam and suspense that had me glued to the pages and trying to figure out whodunit and the author stumped and surprised me with the culprit. Not only that but I loved how these two navigated the present, trying hard to make up for the past, to forgive and forget as the attraction from years before is still there. Both characters were strong and determined, and my heart went out to Jess for what happened but the woman she turned out to be...kick a**. Derek was amazing, he was kind, compassionate, giving and a definite book boyfriend. The story flowed beautifully as bits and pieces of what happened are revealed bit by bit until you get the whole story, along with humour placed perfectly to lighten up the mood, made it very very hard to put down the book.
*I voluntarily read an advanced copy and expressed my honest opinion*

Jess and Derek were abducted and held hostage for 3 days before they escaped when they were in their late teens.

Jess left town soon after to become a highly sought after stunt woman in Hollywood to battle her demons/fears. It’s been 10 years and she hasn’t been home once, not even for her dad’s funeral. Her mom calls, she’s broken a hip. Jess has a break between contracts so she decides to go home for a couple weeks to help her mom.

Derek left town soon after the incident and became a SEAL. After an injury earns him a medical discharge, he returns home and becomes a bestselling thriller author. Since returning, he has relentlessly hunted for clues to the perpetrator of their abduction, since he was never caught. When Derek discovers Jess has come home, he is both concerned and excited. Concerned because he’s been stirring up muddy waters and he’s worried about her safety. Happy because he discovers he likes the current Jess even more than teen Jess.

Jess holds Derek partly responsible for their abduction but can’t help but be impressed with how he’s lived his life. As they begin spending time together, she must decide if she can move on from their past to see if they have a future.

I love the fact that Jess is a strong heroine. She didn’t let her experience destroy her. Instead, she makes her life about overcoming fears and being able to take care of herself.

I had an inkling who the criminal was, but wasn’t completely sure until closer to the end. Very strange reason for the cause of his actions. But hey, who says insane people need to make sense?

This book has possible triggers for kidnapping, torture and rape.

Even though there are a couple of inconsistencies concerning the extent of Derek’s injury, this is a great second chance romance, mystery and suspense read. This author does a great job spinning her tales. This is the second book in the series, however, it can easily be read as a standalone. I looked forward to reading more from this author.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

4.5 - "Out of everything at home... I missed you most." Stars!

The second book in Dana Marton’s Mission Recovery series brings us author and ex-SEAL Derek Daley’s story. Threat of Danger had all the hallmarks of the classic Romantic Suspense book, with the POV of the captive and thoughts of the killer being included at pivotal points in its telling.

Taylorville… The small Vermont Town was the place of her birth and the origin of her nightmares…

Jess Taylor and Derek have history, and it is not of the pleasant kind, first love, first touch and first sexual experience all paled into insignificance when having been taken captive the three days following that time together saw Jess, beaten, abused and everything in-between by a masked captor, Derek forced to watch it all. With the town in general disbelieving and some even saying it was a story made up by a couple looking for attention, Jess ups and leaves as soon as she is able to.

She felt as if all her fears and insecurities and pain had hung around Taylorville, preserved, waiting for her return.

A decade on and Jess has to return home, her mother in the hospital, she is needed to step in and take care of the family farm.

"You’re annoying…"
"You used to idolize me."
"I guess I grew smarter…"
"And even more beautiful"

It’s not until her arrival that she realizes Derek is also back in town, and now like her as a stunt woman, a success story of his own making.

Memory lane was a slippery slope…

It’s weird to say, but this is an author that isn’t overly flowery when it comes to adding emotion into her characters thoughts. It’s addictive in a way because it’s definitely their words and actions that make the chemistry bubble and not lengthy inner-monologues.

"We have too much of a past… I don’t think I can get over that shared past."

You feel the connection between these two from the get-go, and although Jess initially see’s Derek as the man who saw her at her weakest and lowest point, it doesn’t take long, and with an added push of confirmation that the killer is still in their midst, for them to be questioning if their attraction can actually move past their history together.

"I’m not asking for anything. I’m here to give you whatever you need."

Derek is onboard with this a lot quicker than Jess is, and what initially seems as behavior to push her away and back out of town soon shows that he is actually looking out for her safety, something that doesn’t really go to plan in the latter stages.

"I don’t want to be here. And I don’t want to like you again. I don’t even want to be friends."

I actually had an idea of who the killer was in this one before it was actually revealed, which comes as a surprise because I am usually at a total loss when it comes to the whodunit, but it didn’t really matter, because although a massive part of the story it was Derek and Jess that kept me reading. I loved the first book in this series, and the second was even better, I still class Dana as new-to-me in regards to the quantity of books I have read by her, but with a prolific back catalogue, I can see me spending many hours reading her work in the future. I do hope we have more to come from this series too, each book has totally been standalone, and although I can’t immediately see any of the characters from this one popping up in their own book, I look forward to seeing if the author has more stories to add to the Mission Recovery series.

"I’m a navy SEAL. Nobody will hear me coming…"

Threat of Danger is a terrific suspense. Loved the edge of your seat plot and the well crafted characters. I look forward to reading more of this author's books. If you enjoy a good suspense this book is for you.

I really enjoyed Threat of Danger by Dana Marton! I was engaged from beginning to end. I loved the chemistry between Derek and Jess and their witty banter. Not only were there intriguing moments, but also some scenes that tugged at my heartstrings and made me cry. Jess’s a Hollywood stunt double, and Derek’s a former Navy SEAL, now a well known bestselling author. It’s been 10 years since they’d last seen each after a tragic event in their past. I’m happy to say there’s a happy ending and I’m actually hoping Book 3 is not far away. Topics such as rape, abduction, torture and sexual assault are part of this story.I give this story a 4.5
I received an advance copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

Threat of Danger is a sweet and exciting second chance romantic suspense. Ten years ago Jess took a chance with the boy she’d crushed on forever. Their abduction wasn’t Derek’s fault but it did send them in very different directions. Now they are both back in the small town they grew up in and so is the guy who abducted them. Can they find their way back to each other? Will their abductor ever be found and brought to justice?
I really enjoyed watching Jess and Derek find their way as I was trying to determine who the masked man was. This was a sweet and engaging story.

3 stars

Darker themed than the first book. Good characters and intrigue.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

Threat of Danger by Dana Marton

A romantic thriller. You know the serial killer is out there but you have to wait until he shows himself. I was on the edge knowing who was the most susceptible and wanting to warn them to watch her closely.
The hero and heroine have recovered from the past incident in their own way. Now they need to revisit the past as they realize they are stronger and now ready to fight back.

I Loved the unconditional friendship between Jess and Pam. The scene of them drinking wine coolers on the roof was priceless. Jess casually throws herself off the roof (as a stunt person, she knows how to fall) and Pam shares stats on Derek without prompting (although she points out that it was without prompting) shows a depth between the two that is rare and precious.

A bit of humor. “Would it be rude to hit him with a pillow?”

Overall a wonderfully suspenseful novel. I look forward to more by this author.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I also purchased a copy to share.

Jess and Derek had a young love full of promise until they were kidnapped and terrorized by a madman. They weren't supposed to get away but they did. After that they were over. Each went their own way and dealt with what happened in their own way. Now ten years later they're back in Vermont back in the same town. Derek never forgot Jess and never stopped loving her. Jess tried to forget and she tried to blame Derek. She's back to take care of her ailing mother for a bit then she's out of there. Except that madman is still out there. They were told he drowned but he didn't. I enjoyed this book. Both Derek and Jess survived their ordeal and spent years getting stronger and smarter. Derek wants Jess back in his life and Jess struggles NOT to be in his life but it's a losing battle. Packed with drama, action and sitting on the edge of your seat suspense Dana Marton does not disappoint. This is the 2nd book in this series but is absolutely a stand alone. Word of warning this book is high on the suspense and the thriller vibe. If that's your thing this is the book for you. With everything Jess and Derek survived and with what they became i was rooting for them from page one.



Find out more about Dana Marton and this series here www.danamarton.com

Book two of the Mission Recovery series . Years ago , teenagers Jess and her longtime crush Derek are kidnapped and tortured for three days before they are able to escape . Ten years later Jess returns home to help with the family business and comes face to face with Derek . Then another girl goes missing . A chilling and disturbing story you won't soon forget ! Dana Marton is a master storyteller ! I loved this book ! Thanks to #Netgalley and #MontlakeRomance for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #ThreatOfDanger

I love romantic suspense,second chance at love,military guys and well written books.I loved this book,it had it all!It kept me on edge till the end when the rapist/murderer was revealed.The charactors Derek and Jess were very true to life with their jobs,family,friends and the town they lived in.This is the first book of Ms.Martons I’ve read and won’t be the last!

I have always enjoyed reading romantic suspense books written by Dana Marton, but Threat of Danger is simply phenomenal. So much so, that I have now brought the first book in the Mission Recovery series. Each book is a complete stand-alone with a slight connection between the male lead characters. I can’t wait to dive into Silent Threat.

Threat of Danger has everything I enjoy in a compelling read. Let me explain why. It starts out with nail-biting suspense that easies up only to build again and again. There is intense danger for others as well as for the two main characters. The romance is a natural part of the story with the two heroic characters. It does not take over the focus or seem forced or exaggerated at all. The emotional scenes that pulls this reader into different directions as I tried to help Jess decided what would be best for her early in the book. Then the emotional scenes became intense as events led to calamity and even more danger. The violence is scary without being graphic or giving one nightmares. Then the villain was not an easy guess for me. There is though some foreshadowing early in the story as I thought back after finishing. You know the thought, “That yeah, there is a good reason I didn’t like him either.”

Fans of romantic suspense will love Threat of Danger, especially those who enjoy Toni Anderson and Kaylea Cross. Along with Dana Marton, these three write some of the best suspenseful books published today with romance but not an over load of sexual scenes. The focus is on the story. Two thumbs up for Dana Marton’s Threat of Danger.

4.25 stars-- THREAT OF DANGER is the second instalment in Dana Marton’s contemporary, adult MISSION RECOVERY romantic, suspense series. This is former Navy SEAL and best selling crime author Derek Daley, and Hollywood stunt woman Jess Taylor’s story line. THREAT OF DANGER can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information form the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Due to the story line content there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several third person points of view including Derek and Jess, THREAT OF DANGER follows the rekindling friendship and romance between former Navy SEAL and best selling crime author Derek Daley, and Hollywood stunt woman Jess Taylor. Ten years earlier, home from college for summer break, Derek and Jess were about to embark on a long-awaited romance when a serial killer kidnapped and tortured our leading couple. Barely escaping with their lives, Jess and Derek became the focus of rumor and innuendo, paparazzi and national news, so much so that our heroine moved across country in search of peace and quiet. Fast forward to present day wherein Jess will have to return to her home town to help her ailing mother and the family owned maple sugar business, a town she had hoped to forget with all of her heart. Coming face to face with the man she silently blames for three days of torture and rape Jess is unable to forgive or accept Derek, a man just as innocent and damaged as she. When another local high school girl goes missing, crime novelist Derek Daley begins to piece together a similar profile of missing girls going back ten years, to the present. What ensues is the rebuilding romance and friendship between Derek and Jess, and the fall-out as Jess is once again targeted by a sick and twisted mind- a man everyone believed to be dead and gone.

THREAT OF DANGER covers but a few weeks in the life of Derek Daley and Jess Taylor but weeks packed with betrayal, grief, illness and loss. Jess must return to the small Vermont town when her aging mother falls and requires months of hospital and home care but a small town that comes with remembrances of a time where innocence was lost. Too many bad memories as well as the usual town gossip find our heroine struggling to leave behind her life in Hollywood, and a man she was hoping to call her own. Derek Daley is a crime writer who writes what he knows best-truth life crime and none more so than the events of his past. Never thinking to reconnect with the woman he once loved Derek will have to face the wrath that is Jess Taylor, and all of her glorious anger and refusal to accept Derek and the love he has to offer.

The relationship between Jess and Derek is a second chance romance but a romance that struggles with the horrors of the past, and Jess’ inability to let go. Derek has never forgotten about the woman that stole his heart; and Jess wants to forget about everything that reminds her of a time long ago. The $ex scenes are passionate but mostly implied, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic, language and text.

The large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters include close and extended family, friends, law enforcement and newspaper reporters. The world building brings the reader up close and personal with an horrific crime against our leading couple, and the on-going struggles to make sense of it all.

THREAT OF DANGER is a character driven, startling and thrilling story line of romance, mystery and suspense. The premise is sensational, spirited and dramatic; the characters are dynamic and intense; the romance is tender and consuming. THREAT OF DANGER is an impassioned, inventive and intelligent tale from the pen of Dana Marton.

Copy supplied for review

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