Series: Omega Sector (Book 4)
He'd been hired to transport precious cargo--and it put a beautiful twist in his solitary life
Computer game developer Shelby Keelan has a gift: a photographic memory of anything concerning numbers. When she inadvertently discovers a code linked to terrorist attacks within a popular Internet game, she's called in by the government to help piece together what she knows.
.
Pilot Dylan Branson finally has his life the way he wants it: simple, quiet and alone - as far from his covert operation past as he can get. He knows when he's asked by his previous boss to deliver one tiny package to Omega Sector headquarters that his answer should be no. Especially when that tiny package ends up being a cute and quirky redhead he's instantly drawn to.
.
But what should've been a routine trip turns into a desperate fight for their lives when someone is determined to see that Shelby and Dylan don't make it anywhere alive and that the codes in her head are destroyed along with her.
Terrific book and conclusion to the initial Omega Sector series. I loved the romance between Dylan and Shelby, and the buildup of suspense was excellent. Dylan used to work for Omega Sector, just like his siblings, but left when his wife and unborn child were murdered. Now he runs his own chartered flight business, lives out in the boonies, and spends as little time with people as he can. He's not happy when his former boss asks him to deliver some computer codes to DC, but he gives in.
Shelby is a genius at anything having to do with numbers. She has a photographic memory for them, no matter how many there are. She develops computer games for kids, and when she discovered some terrorist-linked code in a game, she called on her friend Megan Fuller-Branson, who works at Omega. She needs to get those codes to DC, where Megan can decipher them, and that means leaving her safe haven and depending on someone else.
I loved both Shelby and Dylan. Shelby is very much an introvert and always has been, which made her childhood with an extrovert mother miserable. She needs her space, and being around other people and (gasp!) having to talk to them, freaks her out. She isn't much for social chit-chat and tends to be very direct when she does talk. She is also pretty insecure about her ability to relate to other people. I loved being able to get to know Dylan better. He has appeared in earlier books, usually in support of one of his siblings, even though he's no longer an operative. His love for his family is obvious, but so is his reluctance to let anyone else get close to him.
I loved the development of the relationship between Dylan and Shelby. There were sparks between them from the start. During that first dinner at the diner, their connection was obvious. Shelby found it amazingly easy to talk to Dylan, something that never happens to her. Dylan enjoyed talking to her, even indulging in a little flirtation, thinking that she would be gone in a couple of hours, after giving him the codes to deliver. His dismay at finding out that the codes were in her head, and he had to take HER with him, caused a sudden chilling of his attitude. I ached for Shelby, who was certain she had done something to deserve it. He knows he's being a jerk, but can't seem to help himself. This happens several times throughout the book, as they draw closer, then he pulls back again. Shelby's frustration with him is understandable, and I wanted to shake him senseless. In spite of his conflicted feelings, Dylan's protectiveness was pretty sweet. I loved how he understood her quirks and stepped in whenever he saw her begin to be overwhelmed. I ached for Shelby as her feelings for Dylan grew, and he continued to fight his. He was unintentionally cruel at one point near the end but redeemed himself quite nicely. His big moment at the end was super sweet and romantic in his way.
The suspense of the story was great. The idea of terrorist codes embedded in a computer game doesn't seem far-fetched these days, so that felt real. Shelby's gift of a photographic memory for numbers also seems quite possible. The tension began quickly with the two attempts on Shelby's life before she even got to Dylan. His quick thinking over her stay in the motel gave added impetus to their need to get to DC. With the sabotage of the plane, Dylan's suspicions about a mole at Omega appeared to be confirmed and reinforced by what happened a short time later. I loved the way the Bransons and their other halves banded together to get Shelby where she needed to be. I was on the edge of my seat as she and Megan worked to solve the puzzle, all the time wondering about the mole. The final confrontation was intense, as was the threat to Shelby and Megan's lives. I loved Shelby's role in saving them both. Though the mole's identity wasn't a surprise, some of the details were pretty amazing.
I loved having all of the couples from the previous books involved in this one. The friendship between Megan and Shelby was great. They are so different, and yet their understanding and acceptance of each other was beautiful. The love and respect between the siblings was strong, yet none of them had any trouble calling each other out when they were being idiots. Dylan (deservedly) was the focus of that most often in this book. The best scene with any of the siblings was the one between Sawyer and Megan as he left to help get rid of the bomb. It was one of the most romantic things I've seen in any book.
No comments:
Post a Comment