The Defiant Hero (Troubleshooters, Book 2)

This is my least favorite of the Troubleshooters? series. I love John Nilsson, but it took me quite a while to warm up to Meg. It was not until the very end of the book that I liked her. This is mainly because she was under duress the entire novel, but the Nils' character more than makes up for my dislike of Meg. An extra chapter or a glimmer or two of her treating Nils with the love and trust he deserved from her would have helped. Fortunately, this happens in future books (at least, it is heavily implied!).

Equally captivating was the WWII story and the beginning of the Sam Starrett and Alyssa Locke saga. As many other reviewers have spoken of Alyssa and Sam, I will not delve too deeply in that direction. Their storyline continues in the next two books in this series. This was one of my favorite WWII storylines! Ralph (pronounced Rafe) was by far my favorite WWII hero, and I was as captivated by their story as I was by the rest of the novel. This book also blended the WWII storyline much better than Unsung Hero.

Suzanne Brockmann is a brilliant author and this series has quickly inserted itself in my top ten, along with the Anita Blake series, J.D. Robb?s Eve Dallas series, and Christine Feehan?s Dark series.


Nobody does it better than Suzanne Brockmann!   March 12, 2001
Rogenna Brewer (Littleton, CO United States)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

Does it get any better than The Defiant Hero? I don't think so, but I can't wait for the next installment of SEAL Team Sixteen for Ms. Brockmann to prove me wrong! Her latest hero Lt. John Nilsson is called upon to negotiate a hostage situation and finds himself face to face with a woman from his past. If only this desperate single mother would trust him enough to put her life in his capable hands...but of course she can't. These two main characters have a lot of issues to work through on the way to rescuing Meg's daughter and grandmother that kept me turning pages. The secondary characters are equally riviting with a heartwarming WWII love story told in flashback by the captive grandmother to her grandaughter and one of their guards. And as if that weren't enough there's also a hot romance kindled between Sam from Nils' Team and Alyssa the FBI agent--I want more!


A True Military Thriller/Romance/Action/Drama! Wow!   August 13, 2003
Tracy Talley (Boston, MA USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

The second book in a line of books which I didn't know was a series until I began reading it. It began with 'Unsung Hero'. But you do not have to read 'Unsung Hero' first, I understood what was going on and Ms. Brockmann doesn't leave us hanging and confused what-so-ever.
Apparently all her books have three or more stories weaved into one and they all converge somewhere in the end or middle. I usually hate these types of books due to the back and forth tales and never really getting to know the main characters very well, but she seemed to accomplish this very well and I am impressed.
Meg Moore, the heroine is desperate and will so anything to save her daughter and grandmother who have been kidnapped by terrorists calling themselves the 'Extremists'. Knowing the United States refuses to negotiate with terrorists from her job as a translator in the European embassy that same logic will kill her daughter and grandmother.
How far will a desperate mother go to save her small remaining family? Meg is not above taking a foreign ambassador hostage in the embassy at gunpoint to force the government's hand at helping her.
Navy SEAL John Nilsson is called on an emergency to help the FBI negotitate with an irrate woman holding an ambassador hostage. When he arrives straight from a training mission he is stunned to learn she had asked for him by name and she is the one woman he never forgot all these years, Meg Moore. Why was she doing this? This was insane and so unlike her!
John must stop her and save her before the FBI takes her out to save the ambassador. First he will have to delve into what is making her tick. Finding that little piece of information will take hours and hours of talking and gun pointing and some moments where John knows he will risk his life and his career to help and save Meg from her own Fate.
Action, drama and some very tense moments where you aren't sure what Meg is capable of fill this compelling book. A mother so desperate and so out of hope, she will kill to save the ones she loves, even herself to save them. I was so in awe of her strength and determination and loved John. He is her soulmate, truly.
The other two stories were as fascinating at the main one. One including the gradmother's tale to the great granddaughter about her love affair in WWII and the steamy relationship between another SEAL and an FBI agent(they now have their own story in a seperate book 'Gone Too Far')helping to find the hostages.
Truly a keeper.

Tracy Talley~@