Alive at 5 by Linda Banks (review)

                                              

Alive at 5




Blurb:

Romance. Adventure. Thrills. Murder...

TV news reporter Samantha Steele is one panic attack away from losing her job. Future on the line and cameraman in tow, she follows her mentor on an exhilarating adventure vacation. When he dies while skydiving, her investigative instincts scream “murdered”, and lead her to gorgeous thrill-seeker Zack Hunter.

Zack is an undercover police officer investigating his uncle’s death through the same adventure vacation company. Samantha is a thorn in his side the moment they meet. Not only is she investigating the same case, but the emotionally wounded loner doesn’t want another partner, especially one whose goal is to splash evidence all over the evening news. But Samantha’s persistence is quite a turn-on, and Zack’s overpowering desire makes it harder for him to push her away.

When the killer turns his attention to Zack, Samantha might be the only one who can save him, forcing the anxiety-riddled correspondent to finally face her greatest fear.




Amazon link




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My Review:


3.5 out of 5 stars




Alive at 5 by Linda Bond is an exciting romantic suspense tale that centers around reporter Samantha Steele whose investigation of an adventure vacation company causes her to cross paths with Officer Zack Hunter who is conducting his own unsanctioned investigation by taking one of their tours.  Samantha’s tendency toward panic attacks makes it difficult to progress in her field but her attraction to the stubborn adventurer prompts her to expand her horizons and become more daring.  Zack has his own demons to fight but he is determined to find out why his beloved uncle died and is willing to use whatever means necessary to achieve his goal.  However, once he gets to know the tenacious reporter, he may have to figure out what his true priorities are.


This entertaining story gives a fascinating picture of the various adventures that thrill-seekers can try but also underscores some of the dangers that are faced, many of which are fatal.  The relationship between the hero and heroine is a little erratic and it was a bit frustrating to me that they didn’t communicate well and practically forced each other into uncomfortable situations, and it would be nice to have a little more depth to the various characters.  I enjoyed the exhilaration conveyed in the description of various activities and am terribly envious of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Samantha experiences (although I definitely would have needed the barf bag, lol).  This is a fun light read combining adventure and mystery.