Countermeasure

What do you get when you take a bit of Romance/Chick Lit and combine it with a bit of Mystery/Thriller? You get a grab you from the first page read that holds you to the very last page. The authors have achieved the perfect balance of both genres and created a beginning of a "I can't wait until the next book comes out!" series. I now am invested in the continuing story of Cassandra and Trevor and am so looking forward to seeing where they are headed to next in their quest for closure for Trevor. I won't spoil the story by explaining anymore of what that closure is about, it's worth reading the book to find out!

This book has been on my radar for a long time but I never acted on it until recently. Now I am kicking myself because I know what I was missing and I have to play catch-up on the series. A real hardship to read one book after another, right? Ha. If you like romantic suspense stories that can get your heart pumping during action scenes but also racing during the passionate love scenes, this book is for you. Countermeasure by Chris Almeida and Cecilia Aubrey is different than the drug lord, military type romantic suspense books I have read. It has more intrigue in it and I really like the balance of romance and suspense.

Countermeasure was a little slow in the beginning to me while it set the stage for the characters of Trevor Bauer and Cassandra James. However, after finishing the book I understand why that background was needed. Trevor and Cassandra live on opposite sides of the country and I couldn’t figure out how they were going to meet one another. The background provided early in the story made it all worthwhile. When Trevor and Cassandra do meet for the first time, the book takes off at a fast pace and does not leave you with a lot of time to get to know the characters’ backgrounds and explain why they react certain ways to things.

I started the book with the prequel titled Uncharted, where we get to meet Trevor’s parents before they set sail. That pulled me into the overall plot immediately and I can’t wait to find out how that ends. I am curious to know if Chris and Cecilia know how it is going to end or if they are keeping it open.

The main plot of Countermeasure is engaging. I have yet to read about anything thing like this so it was interesting to read and had me curious. Cassandra works for her father at a security agency and is hired to protect the formula for a new drug that is being produced. Trevor works for the NSA but is also searching for his parents that have been missing for years. They are each different than the typical hero and heroine you read in romance books and I think that uniqueness allows the reader to relate to them on a personal level. Their jobs and intelligence, however, are a little intimidating but that makes it fun to watch them interact with one another.

The adventure that Cassandra and Trevor find themselves on is unexpected. With Trevor’s tech skills and link back to his friend George at the NSA and Cassandra’s experience as an ex-CIA operative, they manage to retrieve what they set out for, and escape death a couple of times. Chris and Cecilia’s writing makes me feel as though I was part of the story. I wasn’t just reading about characters, I was feeling the same emotions they were and felt like I was helping them solve the puzzles (so what if my talking to them out loud didn’t change the actual story). My heart was racing in several scenes and I felt like I couldn’t put down the book or I would be leaving them in that situation. I had to get past it first.

In addition to the adrenaline filled action scenes, the intimate scenes between Trevor and Cassandra were very nicely done. I thought they fit the characters appropriately for that time in the story and based on how long they had known each other. It was a nice release (no pun intended) and break from them being on the run. Countermeasure is an engaging adventure full of intrigue and suspense as well as heart warming passion. I highly recommend you give this series a try. You will be hooked and so glad you did.

I really enjoyed this read. What I loved most is from the beginning you know something is going on and you're on the edge of your seat wanting to know what it is. Another element that I found imperative for the story was the story being told from different view points. Countermeasure is not a light, fluffy read. This book is for the serious reader that wants to curl up in a chair and read without being disturbed. I highly recommend it!