Review: Another Fantastic Private Protectors Story!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 10, 2013
Opposing Forces is another adventure driven by Adrienne Giordano in her Private Protectors series. In this story we are introduced to Jackson Lynx and Jillian Murdoch. As with the other books in the series, Adrienne has come up with a fantastic plot with plenty of mystery, suspense, and romance to engage you from the beginning and keep you reading until you smile and sigh at the last page when all is said and done.Jack has decided to switch jobs from the State Department to work for Taylor Security.  We get a glimpse of Jack in Man Law as Vic Andrews' go-to guy at State. I wasn't sure I was able to trust him back then, but obviously we can all rest assured knowing Jack is one of the good guys. Jack is the man with the plan. He doesn't fly off the handle or operate by the seat of his pants. I have a feeling he and Gavin from Negotiating Point get along well. Jack has a plan for his life and in that plan, it does not include starting any relationships until his one year of addiction recovery is up.  Too bad he has been eyeing Jillian from his Sunday morning yoga class for the past three months and now she has come to him for help. He has a problem saying no to people in need.Jillian is used to being on her own. She likes to keep people at arms length so they don't get close enough to disappoint her. All she has ever known is disappointment growing up. Jillian works hard and strives for perfection and approval, especially in her job in pharmaceutical distribution. Unfortunately she is in the wrong place at the wrong time and sees a suspicious shipment of drugs. Things at work take a turn for the worse and are never the same after that.Jack and Jillian have flaws that a reader can relate to, even if they have not been in the same situation as the characters. Adrienne does such a good job of describing Jack and Jillian's feelings that you really understand them. She also does a great job of research for her books. Addiction recovery and the pharmaceutical industry are both things I am not familiar with, but by the end of the book I had a greater appreciation for both. I love when a book can both entertain and educate me!Because of the more serious tone in Opposing Forces (due to Jack's seriousness), I enjoyed the comedic relief that only Vic can bring. Janet Fink, another employee at Taylor Security had me laughing as well. They both need a better brain to mouth filter. I found it funny that Vic was shocked that Jillian was not intimidated by him. One of my favorite quotes from Jillian was when Jack and Vic were letting their egos get the best of them in a situation in which they were under a time crunch. Jillian yells at them, "What is wrong with you two? Forget the pissing match and open the damned safe." It sums her up very well.The build up of the the romance in the story is perfect. It is very believable and fits the characters very well. Adrienne writes intimate scenes perfectly for romantic suspense - giving way just enough to use your imagination but not too many details. If you enjoy romantic suspense with a solid plot, relatable characters, humorous banter, and a great balance between the romance and edge-of-your seat action, you need to read Opposing Forces.