Scorched

by Laura Griffin

2014

Status

Available

Publication

Pocket Books (2014)

Description

When her investigation of a find from a remote Philippines dig leads her to the scene of her ex-fiancé's murder, forensic anthropologist Kelsey Quinn turns to Navy SEAL Gage Brewer for help in unraveling a deadly conspiracy.

User reviews

LibraryThing member thehistorychic
Read for Review (Edelweiss)
Overall Rating: 3.75
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 3.50

First thought when Finished: Scorched by Laura Griffin was a fun adrenaline ride that I really enjoyed. I was more invested in the side characters than the main couple so that is the reason for the 3 instead of
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the 4.

What I thought of the Story: I am going to admit that Scorched is the first Laura Griffin book that I have read but it won't be the last. She writes a really good suspense story and has great pacing! The plot was well thought out and hooked me till the very end.

What I thought of the Characters: I have to admit that I wasn't very invested in Kelsey and Gage. I wanted to be but I thought their lack of communication problem was childish on both of their parts. They got mad at each other for being exactly alike in that aspect. It was a tad annoying. However, Laura hit out of the park with the supporting cast! I enjoyed the bad guys, the best friend, the FBI characters, and people they met along the way! Elizabeth and Derek stole my heart!

Final thought: Scorched is a book I would recommend to Romantic Suspense readers who like action packed thrill rides and hot men in uniform.
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LibraryThing member Capnrandm
I love Griffin, and getting Kelsey and Gage's HEA was worth the wait. I enjoyed this particular spin on the "been there, done that" romance, I liked that it was a matter of months rather than a decade that separated the hero and heroine.

On the downside, the pacing in this book is a little choppy.
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It wasn't clear how Gage found out about Kelsey's engagement breaking up, and it was disorienting when Griffin dropped it into the narrative on Gage's side rather than Kelsey's. The culmination of the mystery was a little much as well, with a crash course on counter-terrorism. It set up the HEA very nicely, though, which I appreciated.

Excellent romance, good execution, I'm back to eagerly awaiting Griffin's next book.
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LibraryThing member Rachel.Kall
I absolutely LOVED this book. It was as if Laura Griffin went inside my head and wrote the perfect book that I wanted to read. I’d already become hooked on the Traces series, and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better it did! This book had everything I adore in romantic suspense in one
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book—the forensics through the Delphi Center, the FBI, government corruption and conspiracies, smart heroines, and my favorite addition—Navy SEALs.

Chapter 2 was one of the best chapters in any book I’ve read in a long time. The conflict between Kelsey and Gage felt real as did their romantic connection. I’d already fell in love with Gage when I read the novella Unstoppable, and he only became more amazing in this book. Laura sustained the romance plot the entire book, and you really felt both Kelsey and Gage’s emotional turmoil. He is torn between the two things he loves the most in life—the teams and Kelsey. Kelsey doesn’t want to be alone, left worrying if Gage will come home.

Scorched was perfectly paced, and hit all the right notes mixing high drama and suspense with sexy romance. I loved the addition of Elizabeth LeBlanc as a rookie FBI agent, and the subplot with her and Gage’s SEAL teammate Derek Vaughn.

Scorched had me from the first page and never let go. After a long rough week, knowing I’d get to finish reading this book gave me something to look forward to—and I wasn’t disappointed. Scorched delivered in every way. Basically the perfect romantic suspense for me. Can’t wait to read what’s next from Laura.
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LibraryThing member Rena613
I liked this book of the series the best so far. I haven't read all of them, but of the ones I did read, this had the most intriguing story/mystery.
LibraryThing member TheLoopyLibrarian
Usually, when a book involves the FBI and the Navy Seals, I immediately find it beyond belief and over-the-top. In Scorched, the author somehow maintains a feel of authenticity and reality prompting the reader to suspend disbelief and not only accept the premise of the story but become immersed in
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it. The explosive action was racked with tension. The sense of impending danger and the sexual attraction stayed charged throughout the story with pent-up anger, frustration, pain, fear and love for fuel. The narrative flew at a break-neck pace and the characters had perfect chemistry. I could easily see why this title won a RITA. Highly recommended for fans of romantic suspense.

Quotes:

“Another chance. part of her desperately wanted to believe him and another part of her – the logical part – knew that this wasn’t real” (p. 142).

“Kelsey stumbled through the darkness, expecting at any moment to feel the sting of a bullet in her back. They’d been moving briskly for what seemed like hours, pushing deeper and deeper into the empty desert” (p. 180).

“Fighting terrorism wasn’t about eliminating one man or even one group. It was about stopping a disease before it spread unchecked into the world’s healthiest democracies” (p. 345).
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LibraryThing member Dawn772
A good romantic suspense with lots of fast paced action. I liked the writing style that would build up excitement then switch to a different thread because it kept reinforcing my interest level. When Navy SEAL Gage learns that his ex-girlfriend anthropologist Dr Kelsey is in trouble, he runs to
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help her.
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LibraryThing member Cherylk
I am a fan of this author's and this series. Yet, I feel like this is the first book where I did not enjoy it as much as I have come to expect from this series. Don't get me wrong as the characters are good and I did feel the chemistry but what I did not feel was the plot itself. This time it was
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really just the relationships between the two couples of Kelsey and Gage and Elizabeth and Vaughn that I enjoyed the most. Otherwise I was not as intrigued in the crime itself, the motive, or who the killer(s) were. Also, in the beginning I thought that Elizabeth was the weaker of the two women. However by the end of the story, I thought that both Kelsey and Elizabeth were on the same level. Gage and Vaughn are alpha males. Yet, Vaughn brought out more of the cocky attitude but in a way that made him endearing in a fun way. Either men would e great to have to watch your back.
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LibraryThing member Marcella1717
Most series collapse after the first couple of installments, but this one keeps going. Great plot, wonderful romance, lots of action, fast paced and hard to put down. Can't wait till the next one.
LibraryThing member pgchuis
Kelsey, the forensic anthropologist, escapes when her colleague is murdered (apparently by theFBI/law enforcement) and goes on the run, unsure whom she can trust. She is soon joined by Gage, a former boyfriend and SEAL, keen to help and protect her.

Well plotted and exciting.
LibraryThing member ftbooklover
Kelsey Quinn, forensic anthropologist at the Delphi Center, gave her boyfriend Gage Brewer an ultimatum, her or his SEAL team. When he chose his team, she thought their relationship was over, but now she is on the run from killers and Gage has come to help her, even though he is accused of murder.
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While she and Gage are on the run, Kelsey uses her friends at the Delphi Center to sort through evidence to try and clear Gage's name, but what started as a simple murder case develops into something more sinister as the evidence points to an impending terrorist attack. The race is on to figure out who is involved and where the attack will take place.
Scorched is a fast-paced, very layered story that becomes more and more complicated with each page. Action and suspense drive the story, while the main characters tackle real relationship issues. At the beginning of the story, both Gage and Kelsey seem selfish, but as the story progresses we get more background and perspective, while at the same time, the mystery becomes more and more intricate and interesting. Overall, a very good story - the best so far in the Tracers Series.
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Awards

RITA Award (Finalist — Romantic Suspense — 2013)

Original publication date

2012-10-30

Physical description

6.7 inches

ISBN

1476763887 / 9781476763880

Barcode

1600600
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