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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Review Into the Crossfire (First Force #1) by Cindy McDonald

Critically injured, he found himself surrounded in the security of First Force International and in the care of their head medic, Dr. Rayne Lee, a beautiful and compassionate woman who knows firsthand the sharp slice of loss and grief.

REVIEW

To put aside any doubts, I will say from the start that Into the Crossfire was a pleasant read, one that flowed easily. But more important it did not fall into the fault of the repetitiveness and of the uninspired use of clichés like many other works of the genre.

The author was not afraid to torment her characters, thus giving the necessary bitter tinge of reality to the plot. The characters, positive or negative, main and secondary are suitable for the role they received, but they don’t leave much room for lights and shadows. They have clear convictions that are seen in all their acts. Even the survivor, Raine, reacts as I expected her to. With one exception: Alicia M. She was the main attraction for me.

Dual, Alicia shocks through her "antisocial" acts, but at the same time she shows some kind of dignity, honor. With a messed up system of values, but well secured and with surprising reactions given her chosen lifestyle, she made me give her my full attention. As a result of her personal experience and the influence of her past father, she is a dichotomy of good and evil. I would have liked for her to find another way out, but the one she has chosen is the most appropriate. It seems to me that event the author’s style became more dark and poetic when she wrote Alicia’s chapters.

Regarding the romantic side of the story, I do not agree entirely with the classification in the romantic suspense genre. The romantic elements are there, but they have a different role than the one that you could expect. The author moved with care, knowing that any augmentation of the romantic side of the plot would mean that the intensity of the sentiments will be substantially diminished. But as part of a series, the option of developing a romantic connection remains viable.

At the end, I would add that Into the Crossfire has suspense, emotion, rhythm and a sort of happy ending.

About the author:
For twenty-six years Cindy’s life whirled around a song and a dance. She was a professional dancer/choreographer for most of her adult life and never gave much thought to a writing career until 2005. She often notes: Don’t ask me what happened, but suddenly I felt drawn to my computer to write about things that I have experienced with my husband’s Thoroughbreds and happenings at the racetrack—she muses: they are greatly exaggerated upon of course—I’ve never been murdered. Viola! Cindy’s first book series, Unbridled, was born. Currently there are five books in the series.

Cindy is a huge fan of romantic suspense series’, especially with a military ops theme. Although she isn’t one to make New Year’s resolutions, on New Year’s Day 2013 she made a commitment to write one. Most recently, Secret Cravings Publishing has picked up her First Force Series. Currently available: Into the Crossfire, coming very soon: Book #2, To the Breaking Pointe, Book #3 Into the Dark, and 2016 will bring Book #4 To the Brink.

People are always asking Cindy: Do you miss dance? With a bitter sweet smile on her lips she tells them: Sometimes I do. I miss my students. I miss choreographing musicals, but I love writing my books, and I love sharing them with my readers.

Cindy resides on her forty-five acre horse farm with her husband, Bill, and her Cocker Spaniel, Allister, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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