Against the Dark

Undercover Associates, Book 1

By: Carolyn Crane

Narrated by: Romy Nordlinger

Angel Ramirez left the safecracking game five years ago, and she's worked hard to make amends and build an honest life. But when her beloved aunt is kidnapped, she must reunite with her girl gang to acquire the unique ransom: Walter Borgola's prized diamonds. It's a simple job that turns into a nightmare, thanks to a surprisingly clever - and searingly sexy - security guard named Cole Hawkins. Cole, one of the Association's most brilliant agents, is under deep cover investigating a ruthless killer. He's also running out of time: hundreds will die if he doesn't stop the plan that Borgola has set in motion. Catching Angel is the break that Cole needed. He promises not to turn her in if she poses as his lover and uses her unique talents to unlock the sociopath's dungeon vaults. But as pretend passions turn real, Cole regrets drawing Angel into his deadly game - and danger is closer than either of them could ever imagine. Contains mature themes.

©2013 Carolyn Crane (P)2014 Tantor Media

Wonderful and suspenseful romance story.

I read the rest of this series a while ago. I started with book three, Into the Shadows, because that was the review that really peaked my interest in this author and series. I can’t for the life of me remember who it was that recommended this series to me. I finished the series off, bet for some reason, never got back to book one in the series. So, I picked up this book when it was a free Kindle purchase and then added the audible narration for for an additional $2.99 (always check for those Whispersync deals).

I really loved getting back into the world of the Associates. They are a group of people who work in deep cover to take down some pretty horrible people. Some of the guys have to do some not so great things to keep their cover, but it is for the greater good in the long run. It just may not seem that way to the women in their lives at the time. In this story, our heroine isn’t very clean herself. She has quite the past as a jewel thief, however she’s gone clean until her team really need her help to save a family member.

Angel Ramirez is one of only a handful of people who can break into a Fenton Furst safe. The problem is that she has retired from the thief life. She is now just an interior designer. That is until her old team asks for a favor to help save a family member, one who was like family to Angel too. She has no choice but to break into this safe at Walter Borgola’s mansion, who is quite the notorious crime boss. She is quickly spotted by one of the members of Borgola’s security team, a guy named Cole.

Cole Hawkins is quite the geek, but is in deep cover as security for Borgola. If his cover is blown he will not only die, but he will die slowly and painfully. He feels that the risk is worth it. Borgola has a ship of children coming from outside the country that he plans to use for his snuff films. Cole needs to find Borgola’s plans to find the ship before it makes landfall or he will never find all of these kids. When Angel and her team breaks into get the diamonds, he makes plans to recover the diamonds and use the diamonds to track to the even more secluded safe. He also give Angel an offer she can’t refuse to help him get the information he needs to save the kids.

I really enjoyed listening to this story. Cole was so calculating in persona to keep his cover. The ways he used his intelligence to keep the rest of the security team and Borgola from learning about the real Cole was fun to watch. Angel was another fun one. She wanted so badly not to get back into to the thief life, but at the same time she missed it so much. She missed her friends who had not left the life. She missed the thrill of the heist. But she didn’t want the rejection of her family for being a criminal. Not to mention the relationship between Cole and Angel was hot. Some of it starts of as a ruse to keep their cover for Borgola, but they love every minute of it in the end. If you’re looking for a fun romantic suspense series, this is great one where people are quite what they seem on the surface.

Narration
Romy Nordlinger is a narrator that has grown on me the more I’ve listen to her. The first book that I listened to from her, I wasn’t a huge fan, but the more I listened, the more I got to where I liked her narration. I don’t think I will ever have her listed as a top narrator on my list, but I think she does an okay job. I never had a hard time understanding anything she said. She voices the different characters well, both male and female. I think she does a good job with her inflection, especially when you consider she has to voice some pretty horrible people in this series. This is the only series that I’ve listened to her narrate. I am sad to see that the four and final book in this series isn’t available on audio. I still need to read it, and I will tackle it, but I’m sad that I can’t tackle via audio.

Loved it!

I LOVED this listen! Def worth the credit. The plot was good - it kept my interest, very hot. And the narration was awesome!!

Exciting, sexy ride!

Sexy, thriller/romance with an edge to it. There’s all kinds of covert spy stuff, but it’s handled so the action works well with what’s really driving the story, which is the powerful attraction between Angel and Cole - it’s just right there, you can feel it. A fresh, new take on the kind of guys you find in the romance genre. Romy is a great narrator and gets right into the sexy spills and thrills, and seems to get the edgy flavor this book has. Totally recommended for a fast paced sexy ride!

Not the author’s best work

I’m guessing this book reflects the author’s early work, before she discovered the dual first person POV and possibly a great editor which are evident in Annika Martin’s absolutely inspired and delightful billionaire series.

Same ole, same ole

Passable story stifled by unbelievable sex. Kudos to the narrator who waded through it all.

Safecrackers?

Nothing wrong with the steamy parts, just not sure I can believe you have safe crackers like this anymore and the secret group was even more unbelievable.

Waste of money and time.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Poor story line and the narrator's voice is hard to listen to.

Has Against the Dark turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. Just didn't like the author's style of writing.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

This is the first audio book I have never wanted to finish.