Ahhhhhhh this was just such a wonderful book and I just thoroughly enjoyed myself. I didn’t want to put this book down. I just fell in love with this wonderful story and it’s wonderful characters. I will most definitely be reading more stories from this wonderful author.

Zone of Action is certainly the correct title for this new romantic/suspense thriller from Cathy Skendrovich. The action is non-stop from the prologue to the final page. A fast paced action story. A few twists along the way. The style of writing was really good, very descriptive, flowed really well. Looking forward to reading more from this amazing author. Happy reading everyone 4 1/2 stars ⭐️

What a great read.. Audrey gave up the military after one fateful miscalculation costed lives. She found a new life being a florist. Cam has a mission to escort an old friend who turned traitor to his new federal home. When he escapes it’s up to Cam to find him. The first place he’s going to look is the guys ex girlfriend who he threatened to kill for turning him in.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Zone of Action is a fast-paced romantic suspense story with two protagonists who aren't at all sure they're ready for the "romance" part of things--the "suspense" portion probably wouldn't have been their first choice either, especially since it's coming their way thanks to her ex-boyfriend and his former team member and friend, but it's come for them anyway ;)

Overall I enjoyed the story--the terrorist plot was fairly intense, and I loved that Audrey was not only able to hold her own in the action, but that Cam was 100% on board for her to have an active role in everything that was going on. She'd already left the military by the time the story begins, but Cam still depended on her for her (former) area of expertise, and his confidence in her was spot on. Their romance was a but rushed from start to finish, but it wasn't wholly unrealistic; they were a couple that it was easy to root for when all was said and done.

The book had the feel of an action movie (with a whole lot less sexism than they usually have, though!)--heavy on the fun, a bit lighter on the realism--and was exactly what I needed this week to keep me entertained. This was my first from author Cathy Skendrovich, but definitely not my last!

Rating: 4 stars / B+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

A solid romantic suspense with good twists and turns. Cam and Audrey’s journey is compelling, though Audrey is a little light on the agency/competence and a little heavy on the self-doubt. An emotionally satisfying read.

I received a digital ARC of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Received in exchange for a honest review

The good:

The crazy chemistry between Audrey and Cam

Cam’s loyalty and belief in his friend right to the end

Cam enough said right there. This man just yum..He was smart, kind, honest, loyal, supportive and just all around amazing

The twists and turns in the plot. Didn’t expect one of them at all
Audrey is smart and cunning. Needs to believe more in herself like Cam does

The Meh:

Audrey and how she first starts out towards Cam

Audrey’s wavering belief in what she can do

Brett and this is because I didn’t like how truly bad he was. I was hoping there would be some redeeming quality due to how Cam saw him at the beginning but as the book went on there was nothing of the man Cam saw and fought alongside.

Overall:

Good and full of danger and intrigue. The romance sizzled and the final plot line was crazy wild. I hated to see Cam have so many people he believed in betray him they way they did. You feel for him in that aspect. He is such a good guy and you want him not to have his loyalty and belief in others go by the wayside so I am glad that Audrey helped keep that alive in him with her support and help and faith in him.

Every once in a while a book comes along with writing so sharp, description so vivid, and non-stop action that it you feel like you're watching a movie rather than reading. Zone of Action is such a book. From page 1 you are pulled in by compelling protagonists, antagonists so evil they can't get their comeuppance soon enough. Edge of your seat, hold your breath action and a slow burn romance that will melt your heart. I can't wait for book 2.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher/Netgalley in exchange for a review.

This is another amazing well written military-ops romance read. This thrilling story follows the characters Audrey and Cameron. This book is full of action, romance, drama and suspense. This is romantic suspense genre at its best with plenty of twists and turns through out the story. This book has well written characters and an amazing edge of your seats story.



I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

When I first saw ‘Zone of Action’ on Netgalley I wasn’t sure if this was a book for me. I love romantic suspense, but that cover just was to flashy for my taste and I hadn’t heard about Cathy Skendrovich before. But the book description sounded exciting, so I requested a copy and was super excited when I got approved to read it.

In ‘Zone of Action’ we meet Audrey Jenkins, a former terror cell expert who is now the owner of a little flower shop. After an operation went wrong, Audrey decided she wanted a quiet life.. and so she bought her very own flower shop. But when Audrey finds out her (ex) boyfriend is selling military secrets to the enemy, she turns him in and finds herself back in the world of military.

CID Special Agent Cam Harris ‘lost’ Audrey’s ex-boyfriend while being on his custody. And now he is the one assigned to get him back. This leads Cam right to Audrey. And although they are on a dangerous path, their chemistry can’t be denied.

When I started reading this book, it honestly took me a while to really get into the book. Somehow I found myself being easily distracted. I don’t really know why honestly, because the beginning of this book wasn’t boring at all. I kept on reading, and slowly on the characters began to grow on me.

Audrey and Cam’s chemistry was something that could easily be felt coming of the pages. And although I didn’t like them at first, I loved them in the end. Their slow burn romance was definitely the best of this book if you ask me. I especially loved Cam. He was so tough on the outside, but Audrey was his soft spot.

‘Zone of Action’ was definitely an action packed romance. And although it took me a little while to get into it, I loved it in the end. This book definitely had me sitting on the edge of my seat. And I really recommend it.

Terror cell expert Aurdrey Jenkins has seen too much death in her career. She figures out her ex a very high ranking officer that is in her unit is selling military secrets she turns him in. When she leaves the army she wants to have a simple life. Then she meets CID Special Agent Cam  Harris who is trying to track down a military prisoner who escaped whole in custody. The prisoner had saved Cams life in the past.

Tracking the prisoner leads him to Audrey door he is positive her ex will end up there at some point.  Audrey wants nothing to do with tracking down her ex but a terror cell starts attacking army intelligence officers and she's positive it is connected to her ex.

Helping Cam is the right thing to do but while hunting down her ex the attraction they feel towards each other might be a distraction that can get them both killed. Will they catch her ex? Will they both survive? Will they get a happily ever after? Read to find out! 

This is a new author to me and reading the summary for the book caught my interest and I really wanted a chance to read it. I am really glad I did and soon after bought her other books as well. This was a very good book it had suspense and romance and characters that I liked and felt were real. Reading is my escape to everyday life and this really captured my interest. If your looking for a good story and new author you should really check this book out. I read it fast and am looking forward to reading her other books I have purchased. 

I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley and here is my honest review if I didn't receive a free copy I planner on purchasing it and I have purchased her other books.

I'm wavering a bit with what to say about Zone of Action. The blurb had me ready to dive right in but there were times I struggled to feel the connection between Cam and Audrey. That being said, the danger and twists kept coming and I was very interested to see how everything would go down.

Now I get it, they were in the middle of a very tense, life or death situation. There was obviously mutual respect between them, even with how little they knew each other. I liked that they had both been duped by Brett (not that he had hurt them both but that his deviousness is what brought them together in the first place). And that they were the ones who tasked themselves with figuring out just what he was up to.

Cue the brushes with death that were too close for comfort. Tensions were high and Cam and Audrey were racing the clock to try and thwart an evil plan. What a deep and tangled web of lies, betrayal and misdeeds with dire consequences they uncovered.

Cathy Skendrovich had my heart racing the final twenty percent of this book as everything came to a head. Talk about unexpected and pulse pounding. I had no clue how things were going to shake out and I was hanging on each and every word to see just what would happen next.

New to me author Cathy Skendrovich wins the award for swoon-worthy cover with ZONE OF ACTION. I kind of feel like if that guy stepped up to the plate, he could fix all that’s wrong in the world. This is a story of lies and deceit, with terrorists and traitors around every corner. Skendrovich gives great focus to the psychological side of life in the military, which we see in both Audrey Jenkins and Cam Harris. Audrey is a former soldier who specialized in terrorist cells, and now works in a flower shop. When she suspected her boyfriend Brett of being a traitor, she turned him in. And then stood her ground in court, even in the face of threatened vengeance. Brave. Cam served with Brett in the Army, where Brett once saved his life. It’s hard for Cam to reconcile the traitor with the savior, so he escorts his former teammate to prison. What a rube, as Bugs Bunny would say, because Brett gets away, sparking a harrowing manhunt and danger, danger, danger. I’d say this is more of a military romance than romantic suspense, and it’s a bit predictable, but all the same I enjoyed it. I’ll definitely keep Skendrovich on my watchlist.

*Originally published at Frolic: https://frolic.media/july-2020-must-read-romantic-suspense/

I actually couldn’t resist getting my hands on the eARC of the book because it had all the markings of a fast paced and action filled romantic suspense that will have me glued to the pages.
And it did. But because of the actual suspense in the book; rather than the connection between the protagonists – Audrey and Cam.

We meet Audrey when she is testifying against her ex – boyfriend, Brett, a high – ranking military officer in his trial for treason. And she locks eyes with Cam, then. Cam, however has a long history with her ex; at one point Brett had saved his life; so he finds it really hard to believe that the man he served with would be capable of treason against his own country.

But when he threatens Audrey after the trial ends and then when he escapes his custody while Cam is transporting him – Cam knows that he will surface only where Audrey is. The only problem? Audrey wants nothing to do with this threat because being ex – military herself, she know she can take care of herself.

I actually enjoyed the suspense part of the plotline – and while Cam and Audrey seem to be a perfect fit on paper – somehow that connection/chemistry never really translates to the reader in me.
Still I enjoyed the actual plotline and would definitely read more from this author in the future!

This one caught my attention because of what it promised was inside. Audrey is a character that has spunk and spice with it grabbing your attention. She also thinks she is going to go to simple but if this turns out to be that I wonder what she thinks is hard. Cam is also another character that has our eyes and attention but also the alpha he is helps. Trouble is abound and when it lands it brings these two together. When it starts hitting she knows who is doing it so together they slay. Heat is going up on all levels but to enjoy some of it they have to live which is what we want at the end so together we stick to see where this lands.

Zone of Action is just that - full of action! Audrey, a retired terror cell expert, and Cam, a CID Special Agent have great chemistry, but they meet each other at the worst possible situation. He's tracking down her ex, who escaped his custody after she turned him in for selling US military secrets. Together they uncover a terrorist plot, to attack US soldiers.

This story was filled with excitement, suspense, unexpected twists, and a great slow-burn romance. If you're a fan of romantic suspense and military romance - and even if you don't think you are! - this is an engaging, read that I highly recommend!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Zone of Action is a fast paced high action story as Audrey and Cam team up to track down the man that betrayed them both. Their story is exciting and the relationship between them is a nice slow build. There is definitely chemistry there and you can feel it all the way through the book. This book is not to be missed. I highly recommend it.

This is the first time I've read Cathy Skendrovich and I found it packed full of action. It's one of my new favorite genres military-ops romantic suspense. This is about two individuals scarred by violence in the middle east, each dealing with it a different way. It's a twisty story about terrorists in the middle east & on US soil, betrayal and discovering love in surprising places.

Audrey Jenkins is a former terrorist cell expert. Her instincts about reading people are so good she was the best in her field. When she guessed wrong in Kandahar and witnessed a whole bus load of innocents blown up she left the military because she lost confidence in her abilities. She opened a flower shop and found a certain level of peace until she overheard her fiance Brett Gates spilling military secrets one day. She turned him in as a traitor to his country and was a witness at his trial where he vows to get even and kill her.

Cameron Harris owes his life to Brett Gates for saving his life in Kabul when they were on an intelligence mission. They lost their teammate Jimenez on that op and each of the team dealt with the loss differently. Cam moved on to CID-Criminal Investigation Dept of the military, Brett went to work with Audrey in terrorist groups. After Audrey retired they began dating. We find out Brett became disenchanted with the military operations with the loss of Jimenez and others. Cam requests to be Brett's escort officer to prison so they can have some closure. Along the way Brett attacks Cam and escapes. This starts a chain of events that leads to Cam and Audrey working together to unravel a terrorist plot here in the states and together they have to keep Audrey alive. It gets to a point these people don't know who to trust when they try to stop a terrorist plot on US soil.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Zone of Action is the first book that I have read by Cathy Skendrovich and I was not disappointed. This book was full of plenty of action and suspense, not to mention plenty of steamy sex. The main characters had great chemistry and were very likable. More importantly, the story was actually very realistic. It was something straight out of an NCIS episode.

When Army Criminal Investigation Department Agent Cameron Harris is tasked with escorting his former best friend/ex-soldier turned traitor Brett Gates to Leavenworth, Cameron finds himself in the middle of a terrorist plot that takes him across the country and right into the arms of Brett’s ex-girlfriend Audrey Jenkins. Audrey, who just so happened to have been integral in getting Brett convicted, ends up being put in danger after Brett escapes his prison transport. As a much larger plot begins to unfold, Cameron and Audrey have to use all of their military training and resources to try and prevent an act of domestic terrorism that they are sure is on the verge of being committed by Brett and whoever he is working with. Of course, spending so much time together brings their attraction to the surface. Cameron and Audrey have a really intense spark and their time in the bedroom is very much explicit and explosive.

I really enjoyed Zone of Action from beginning to end. Audrey may have retired from the military but she was very much a soldier in her own right. Cameron was the epitome of GI Joe but also showed his vulnerable side. The two of them made for a great team and nothing about their relationship seemed forced. They seemed to have been meant to be together and will surely have a great future. I look forward to reading other books by Cathy Skendrovich. She has gained a new fan.

I’m afraid this book just didn’t do it for me. I won’t go over the plot, since the blurb covers it nicely. What I will say is that I found the scenario to be implausible and the plot had too may holes. The main characters were both supposed to be the best at what they did, but they kept making the most ridiculous mistakes. And a small peeve of mine was that the author thanked her two sons for help with the military lingo, yet didn’t extend that help to her readers. A simple explanation of words and phrases would have been nice. I was also disappointed in the ending. There are far too many loose threads, which I assume means that there will be another book to come, but that isn’t mentioned, so the reader is left without closure. So while the writing itself was fine, I found myself too annoyed with the book to enjoy it.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Cathy Skendrovich is a new-to-me author but the blurb of Zone of Action sucked me in. Always up for finding new favorite authors, I dove right in. I might need to add that I’m a romantic suspense junkie too. I blame Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys for planting that seed and Nora Roberts for nurturing it for a lot of years now.

What I liked about the book: The suspense started in chapter one and had plenty of twists and turns. There’s nothing worse than figuring out who did what and why less than halfway through a romantic suspense book, in my humble opinion. The action was fast-paced, so the chance to become bored with the story wasn’t really there.

NICUnurse’s Rating: Personally, I would have like to have seen a bit more development of the attraction between Cam and Audrey. Even with fast-paced, page-turning action, I think some more scenes where they actually opened up a little more to each other would have moved this story from more of a thriller/suspense to a true romantic suspense. With that said, I see a lot of talent with this author. She’s got a few books under her belt that have me intrigued, and this story has me looking forward to her next romantic suspense release. While I can’t say that I couldn’t put this book down, I can say that it did what I always hope a good book will do: distract me from my reality enough that I’m totally immersed in the fictional drama unfolding amongst the pages and invested in the outcome enough to finish the book. If you’re a romantic suspense/thriller lover like me, or just like fast-paced and action-filled stories, I think you’re going to enjoy Zone of Action.

I give Zone of Action by Cathy Skendrovich 4 out of 5 stars!