Tinderbox

Rachel Grant

Feb 2017 · Flashpoint Book 1 · Janus Publishing

About this ebook

"Unexpected and intense from the get-go. With irresistible characters, a rare setting and an inventive, high-powered plot, it's a smartly crafted gem of a story." - USA Today

While working on the Horn of Africa, archaeologist Morgan Adler's work and life are threatened, forcing her to make a desperate dash to a nearby US military base to beg for protection. Green Beret Pax Blanchard has orders to intercept Dr. Adler before she reaches the base, and in so doing saves her life, but his responsibilities toward protecting the woman have only just begun.

Morgan and Pax are forced to work together in the scorching desert heat, but it is the fire that ignites between them that threatens to consume them both. He protects her by day, but can he keep his hands off her when the sun goes down? One thing is certain, his job is no longer a matter of following orders, and he will risk everything to keep her safe.

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2017

2018 HOLT Medallion Winner

Topics: military thriller, political thriller, political romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, thriller, mystery, hot romance, women's romance, action and adventure, Special Forces, Green Beret, military romance, special ops romance, archaeology, paleoanthropology, alpha hero, strong heroine, scientist heroine, desert, international, Africa, Djibouti, Rachel Grant, Flashpoint Series.

Ratings and reviews

Tinderbox, the first book in the Flashpoint series by Rachel Grant, blew me away from the first page and I could not put it down until I finished the book. I was just that good. The book opens with Dr. Morgan Adler, an archaeologist working in Djibouti, escaping from her research site after being threatened by machine gun toting warlord henchmen, to a US Military base due to a warning that the US embassy was going in to lock down. Morgan had uncovered remains that were the paleoanthropological find of a lifetime and she had to protect them from the Ethiopian warlord looking to expand his territory into Djibouti as well as “acquiring” Morgan for himself. Morgan reaches a road block before reaching the US Military base she was closest to, when she is stopped and questioned as to why she needs to get onto the base. Now here is where it gets interesting. Morgan is expecting the warlord’s henchmen to show up any minute to take her find from her, she just wants to get on the base to protect her find and to be safe, but the US Army is questioning if she is really who she says she is or is she just trying to get on to the base to deliver a message from the warlord, as the tip they received stated, and is a danger to the Military members who are stationed there. The soldier who stops Morgan, Master Sergeant Pax Blanchard, has orders to intercept Dr. Adler and in the process, saves her life. That is when the story really gets started. Morgan and Pax want the same things, to protect the site and to finish the work Morgan started, but they both have personal history that clouds the issue of how they should act towards each other. The attraction is there and makes all of their interaction exciting, but the friction between them has you guessing as to how this will all play out and will they both be successful in getting the job they were hired to do done. If you like military stories, suspense and romance then this is a must read for you. I have read most of Rachel Grants books and I think this is my favorite. Thank you Rachel for writing such intriguing books. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

I just love this author and all of her book she pulls you in with excitement, thrills, action and suspense. This is romance as its finest with an author that never disappoints you with strong women who know how to hit the ground running and the hero’s that do their best to keep them safe. This is a wonderful start to a new series with a great plot and delightful characters that keep you turning the pages. She pulled me in from the first page until the last. I stayed up very late to listen as much as I could, I hated to put the book down. Mr. Temblay did an outstanding job pulling the listener in giving a wonderful listen to his many different character voices to his wonderful tones they all were delightful. He held me on the edge through all the danger to the romance. His female voices were as great as his male ones. I had to trouble picturing the scenes as they unfold holding me on the edge through the danger which is filled with action. His tones and emotions were great you always knew who was talking and just what they were feeling. There was no repeating of words, no background noises, no volume changes. It sounded like he finished it at one setting if breaks were taken I could not tell. He made me feel like I was setting right there watching a movie as he delivered the excitement and thrills even a few chills that I felt all the way to my toes. He performance was outstanding giving me a listen I was hooked on from start to finish. When Morgan and Pax meet you can see the sparks they create coming right off the pages. Pax likes a strong woman which Morgan is. Pax isn’t letting any grass grow under his feet as he shows his very alpha side. He makes demands and expects her to fall in line following him and the orders he gives. Rules are rules as these two try their best to put up a wall to keep their attraction at bay. Neither willing to admit what they feel which really adds to the story giving a very interesting and exciting read. As danger comes their way they must learn how to work together as they try to fight their attraction. Pax is doing everything he can to keep her safe when she is taken he is on the race against the clock to find her. Morgan must really pull on her enter strength to get through some very trying days as she works to survive and hopefully escape. She is praying Pax finds her in time and he is doing everything he can to locate her and bring her back safe and sound. It really gets exciting here and very dangerous as not everything is as it seems. Ms. Grant has out done herself filling each page with excitement, suspense, danger, wonderful hot love scenes that is full of tension, lust, thrills and chemistry that leaves you holding your breath just waiting to see what comes next. The danger keeps you on the edge with eyes glued to the pages turning them as fast as you can. I was talking to the characters as if they were real people. When you start talking, yelling at the book you know you are so invested you can’t put it down that you have a wonderful read you wish would not end. Mr. Grant deliveries all this and more she is one of my go to authors when I want something exciting that I know will pull me in making my heart beat faster as she takes me through one thrilling scene into the next. I have trouble waiting for her next book to come out. If you are looking for a wonderful author that keeps you one the edge with excitement and thrills you have found her. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have.

Rachel Grant has written another fabulous book. Ms. Grant has a talent for writing stories full of intrigue, mystery, and sexual attraction, while creating unique story lines that are enhanced from a personal knowledge of the subject matter; which clearly shows in her writing. Set in the Horn of Africa, Tinderbox is the first book in the new series Flashpoint, and tells the story of Master Sergeant Pax Blanchard and Dr. Morgan Adler; two intelligent, career driven people with an undeniable sexual attraction to one another. Despite the attraction, each has their own reasons to avoid any entanglements, yet some things are just too hard to resist. Add in an archaeological find of a lifetime, a few bad guys, and General Adler and you have a book that is too hard to resist. I highly recommend this book, along with the books from the Evidence series. Even though I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review, Ms. Grant is an automatic buy for me and I look forward to reading her next book.

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Rachel Grant worked for over a decade as a professional archaeologist and mines her experiences for storylines and settings, which are as diverse as excavating a cemetery underneath an historic art museum in San Francisco, survey and excavation of many prehistoric Native American sites in the Pacific Northwest, researching an historic concrete house in Virginia, and mapping a seventeenth century Spanish and Dutch fort on the island of Sint Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and children and can be found on the web at Rachel-Grant.net.