review || HUNTER

I really do enjoy a sassy heroine -- take Lauren Layne's Sophie, for example. And Amber? She's pretty sassy.

Hunter by Gennita Low

Publisher: GLOW World, 2nd edition (6/28/2005)

Series: Crossfire, book 2

Genre: Military Romance

Source: Purchased

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My Rating: ★★★★1/2

Hawk McMillan, SEAL commander, is on a lone mission. To get close to Dragan Dilaver, a Kosovo kingpin involved in drugs and arms–trafficking, Hawk helped him escape from Asia and return to his former country of Yugoslavia. Now Hawk has to discover where certain weapons have been dropped for Dilaver over the diverse regions of Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania –– not an easy task for someone unfamiliar with the territory. In order for the operation to succeed, he needs a tracker and the only available person is CIA contact agent Amber Hutchens. 

Beautiful and smart, Amber has made a life for herself in Velesta, Macedonia and she is more than capable of assisting Hawk in finding the cache of hidden weapons. Despite the danger of exposure and torture, they risk everything in their mission to strike down Dilaver and his ruthless gang –– even their love.

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Right from the get-go, Amber shows Hawk that she's a bit of a sassy thing -- of course, she tests Hawk for good reason. Not one to be outdone, Hawk manages to 'repay' her little visit to him. I loved how her test and his repayment put an underlying current to their relationship. I have to chuckle that both of their tests put one another's hands on the other, without it being sexual. And when they finally do get to the sex, I laughed when Hawk pointed out that they'd been in that position before, as he grinds himself into her. He's just as sassy...

I think that really, the only woman Hawk would ever be able to fall for fully would be a woman like Amber. He needs a strong lady -- she's his equal in the mouth, in the field, and in the mind. Even in action, he can't help but smile around her.

'Amber reached in her belt and pulled out something. "Here," she said.

'Grenades. He managed a grin. The woman was something else. He pulled the pins and dropped them down the stairwell. The blast shook the building.

'Hawk turned to Amber. "Problem taken care of," he said.

'They reached his room. She pushed the gas mask off over her head, then pulled off the small goggles. Hawk did the same, taking in the two dead bodies in his now-messy room. She pointed to her back, indicating that he should return the Uzi to the duffle bag.

 '"Are you all right?"

'Hawk grinned. "What took you so long?"

'"Oh my god, Hawk." He couldn't see her face, but her voice cracked with emotion. "Your face...your teeth are red. Are you in a lot of pain?"

'He shrugged and managed to hide a wince when she touched his face. "Just a little. Do you know you look like the Invisible Man with that getup?" She was covered from head to foot in dark material. "The gas mask looks really strange on a faceless person."

'"Yeah, well, what about flopping around, trying to walk with just your hands and belly? What was that, your rendition of the Little Merman?"

'She sounded more like the Amber her knew and he wanted to kiss her...'

I liked Jazz and Vivi, and really, I bought HUNTER immediately because I was curious about Hawk. I did not expect to love HUNTER more than I did PROTECTOR. Hawk and Amber have a great relationship and I would love to revisit them again and again.