Book Review: Lights Out by Natalie Walters

CIA analyst Brynn Taylor developed a new program to combat terrorism, and she invited members of foreign intelligence agencies to America to foster cooperation between countries. Now one of them, Egyptian spy Remon Riad, is missing.

Jack Hudson has been working for the Strategic Neutralization and Protection Agency (SNAP) for almost nine years and takes the lead in hunting down the missing spy. But he isn't at all pleased to find out Brynn is involved. It's hard to trust a woman who's already betrayed you.

Every lead they follow draws them dangerously deeper into an international plot. Kidnapping, murder, explosions, poisoning--the terrorists will do anything to accomplish their goal of causing a digital blackout that will blind a strategic US military communications center and throw the world into chaos.

Can Brynn surrender control to a man who doesn't trust her? And can Jack ever get over what she did to him? The fate of the world—and their hearts—hangs in the balance.

Series: The SNAP Agency, Book #1

My rating:

Mmkay. *deep breath* That was what I call a letdown.

I enjoyed Brynn! A lot! I loved her get-it-done attitude and the way she wasn't afraid to work at her goals. Though I may not be as driven as she is, I live around people that are, and I sooo understood her shock when everyone took a weekend break. (Was I a bit shocked too? Um, yes. Still not sure if I agreed with them, but Jack made a good point, so I couldn't exactly argue.)

I really liked Jack. His sense of responsibility. His struggle to overcome past feelings and move forward. I loved his happy-go-lucky attitude (though not nearly as happy-go-lucky as Kekoa) and the way he jumped into everything with a positive attitude.

The suspense was epiiiiic. Like, all of the bad dudes and how they tied in to the plot confused me a liiiiitle bit, but other than that, it kept me on my toes. (well...not literally. But ya get my drift.) I especially loved it when Brynn teamed up with Lyla; they made a formidable duo. And Lyla was one of those characters that amused me and annoyed me at the same time, but I adored her for it anyway.

And her + Garcia? Classic. Iconic. Poor dude got majorly friend zoned, but I loved his attitude. (Now that I think about it, there really wasn't anyone on the team that I didn't like.)

And shall I talk about the InjURiEs?? People got poisoned. Shot. Bones broke. Ended up in the hospital. It was great. (wow, Kate, love the priorities there)(also I feel like every time a book involves injuries, I have to make some sort of crack about my priorities)

So. What didn't I like? Um...well...y'all know I'm not a romance fan. If something is categorized as romantic suspense, I expect there to be romance, and I expect there to be suspense. I expect people to do their jobs, and then explore a relationship. What I don't expect is for people to be walking into a potential ambush, guns at the ready, unable to stop thinking about kissing the person next to them. And every moment in between. Really, y'all. It was just...too much. Sparks were flying every which way c o n s t a n t l y, and when one moment they refused to trust each other, the next moment it's "LeT mE KIsS YoU" (can you tell I'm not a fan of enemies to lovers?)

And then the spiritual aspect. Brynn and Jack are Christians. But, as often happens, they kinda walked out on God due to their jobs, past hurts, etc. and then realize that they need to fix that. Fine. I'm okay with that. But the fact that they just kinda mention it in passing and then there's never really any conclusion to that? Like...it would have been better not to mention it at all, I think, than to just gloss over it and give the impression that the mention of God and faith is only because the publisher is Christian.

Someone is going to love this book and learn from it and have it touch them. I just am not that person.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher for promotional purposes. All thoughts are my own.

 What makes or breaks a book for you? If you've read Lights Out, what were your thoughts? Oh, and happy Thanksgiving!