Talon by Sybil Bartel Series: Uncompromising #1
Publisher: Self-Published on March 1, 2016
Genres: Romance, Suspense, Adult
Pages: 354
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Purchase: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
Rating:
Heat:
Talon
I surf.
I fuck.
I pretend to smile.Two years ago my life was perfect, until it wasn’t. I scattered my wife’s ashes then walked away from the Marines. I didn’t think I had anything left to lose.
I was wrong.
The blond showed up at my surf shop, beaten and stabbed. I did what I was trained to do—I stitched her up. I didn’t have a clue who she was and I told myself I didn’t care. Until they came looking for her.
I swore I’d take my last breath before I let anyone else hurt her except I didn’t know she was keeping a deadly secret. Now I had two choices, her life or mine.
Marriage and combat taught me the same thing—I was no one’s hero. And I was about to prove it.
At A Glance
Liked the story and action but there was nothing special.
The Good
First, let me say this is a spin off of Bartel’s Unchecked series and I haven’t read it. I kinda wish I had because I did miss some references but it didn’t overly hinder my enjoyment or understanding of the story. Just a minor inconvenience.
Talon was all sorts of hot and brooding and a little bit of an a-hole which you girls know I love. I really enjoyed how passionate he was about saving Nicole. She is so lost it hurts to look at her. She walks into Talon’s surf shop all sorts of beat up and bleeding and crap goes downhill from there. Nicole has had her emotions snuffed out of her by her complicated past. She is totally dead inside, but Talon has a way of bringing small glimpses of her true self out. If only she would trust him to take care of her problems no matter the price.
The plot and action were really well done. Lots of twists and turns and a good little mystery thrown in. We get biker/gang action, and a whole bunch of emotional turmoil from all the characters. The best part was Talon and his friends being military badasses. I love me a military man with secrets in his eyes. Deep, people…deep.
The Bad
Talon’s obsession with Nicole was too much sometimes. Stop chasing after her! Let her do the chasing, man. And Nicole got annoying sometimes. I felt like she more used Talon than anything. Every time things got hard or tense Nicole was out the door rejecting Talon in a hot minute. I don’t mind a little back and forth, but it was a constant theme in this book and I was so over it by mid-book.
The Snuggly
There was definitely sex, and it was pretty hot. When Talon loves, he loves hard.
Final Thoughts
Even though there was nothing special about this romantic suspense, I really enjoy it. The characters were complex and the twists and turns kept me reading. Very recommended.
Quotes
“I’m done paddlin’ out because I found my magic. You’re my perfect wave.”
“Walkin’ into my kitchen in nothin’ but my T-shirt and eff-me underwear.” I spun her around and held her against my raging hard-on. “You wanna know what else was a mistake?” I rubbed up and down her ass, dragging my tongue along her neck and biting her ear. “Thinkin’ I wouldn’t follow through just because we got company.”
Lekeisha
Nicole sounds like a spoiled brat. If it’s not her way, it’s no way. Talon seems like a broody boy that I would probably love though. Great review!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
You could sooooo love Talon!
Brandi Breathes Books
Good to hear that the action and plot were good but sorry it just didn’t stand out as special
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
it’s hard to be special in this genre sometimes.
sherry fundin
I hate wishy washy women characters, but love when they win me over by the end of the book.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
Yeah, she did get better by the end of the book.
kindlemom1
Boo for the nothing special but glad it was still a pretty solid read.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
At least I enjoyed it.
melliane
despite the missing references it sounds like a good one and I hope you’ll be able to read the others too!
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
I think I just might read the other ones.
Kristin
Gah! I’m so sick of these mediocre reads lately. I’m currently reading a book that follows the same type of relationship. The girl’s all in, the guy will hump and dump every time. But she keeps opening back up to him and he keeps saying he wants her but then they go at it and he high tails it out of there. It’s annoying. Talon does sound like it would be an awesome read though if it just didn’t have that going on. :\ As for reading the previous series, I currently have a giveaway for them on my blog because I’m part of Talon’s tour. 😉
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
Oooh, I will check out the giveaway! Thanks.
Melissa (Books and Things)
Yea, although the ones I’ve read recently have gotten better, I don’t always love the female in these books. They can get annoying and that just bugs me to no end. Still, it seems it didn’t draw you out too much so that is a good thing! 😀
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
I feel like females are getting more annoying in books lately.
ShootingStarsMag
One of my friend’s husbands is named Talon, so I kind of keep thinking of him. LOL Sorry this wasn’t all that special. I appreciate hearing what worked and what didn’t.
-Lauren
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
LO, Talon is a really cool name.
Olivia Roach
It seems like this one held a lot of promise and while it was good, it missed the mark of being head over heels epic because it didn’t have anything to make it stand out as very unique. I do like the sound of this one as something to read when you want a little pick me up.
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
It was just one of those inbetween reads. Gotta read them sometimes.
Jaclyn Canada
I get discouraged when I see one character overly chasing another one. Are they doing enough to reciprocate? That guy on the cover though…
Jennifer (Bad Bird Reads)
In the end, I still felt like Nicole was holding back a little bit.