Bastian Declan, David’s business partner and Teresa’s childhood friend, has loved Teresa for years. He wastes no time seizing this new opportunity to finally win her heart.
While David is stuck in Boston hoping to resolve the conflict and restore his relationship with Teresa, PreClan’s top-secret surveillance system is at a critical stage. Tension is high, and the house is full of very capable guards, after another foiled attempt to steal the technology. Teresa, vacillating between hurt at David’s deception, and wonder at Bastian’s potential, doesn’t fully appreciate the danger.
Teresa’s service dog, Red, is smart, opinionated, handsome, and can talk. Well, at least to Teresa anyway. Understandably excited by all the activity, will his vigilance and unique bond with Teresa be enough to keep her safe?
BLIND RAGE picks up where Blind Faith (book three) left off. While Bastian patiently shows Teresa he can be the partner she needs, they both want closure regarding her relationship with David. Will Teresa choose to forgive David, or will she open herself up to the possibility of a more tumultuous love?
WELCOME TO TEAM RED!
Blind Rage will have you gasping in shock, sad with empathy, and Laughing-Out-Loud (literally- some readers caution you should not eat or drink while reading, or you will be spewing food/liquids when you get to the funny parts... err, which make up a large portions of the book). This version of the series is INTENDED FOR MATURE ADULTS OVER 18. Contains graphic sexual content, and swearing, which is unfortunate as the dog repeats everything.
My review:
In Blind Rage we pick up where Blind Faith leaves off. Bastian and Teresa are continuing to try and navigate the beginning of a relationship while Teresa desperately waits for David to return so that she can gain the closure that she needs. The author has continued to depict Teresa as a strong woman who is able to think clearly in times of stress or struggle. She demonstrates the ability to think on her feet and leverage her skills and her smarts when she needs to. In this installment, we also begin to see the development of an empathic link between Teresa and Red as she begins to FEEL some of the emotions that Red is feeling. I think it's quite funny when she feels Red's happiness at getting a good scratch - which are available in spades in the Team Red house. The cast of characters has grown significantly in Blind Rage as the product being developed by Bastian and David comes closer to delivery to the government. Both security for Teresa and Red as well as the full introduction of a team of former military personnel to supplement David and Bastian's effort makes for a full house. I love how the author accommodated all these new characters in Teresa's house and Teresa's life in several ways - several times throughout the book, as a scene comes to a close, you'll hear the characters say "Bastian out" or "Jeeves out" as a way for the men to let Teresa know they were leaving (or coming into) the room. Teresa has thought out loud that she needs to write down all the men, their real names, and their call signs - so you find a small appendix in the back of the book where the author did just that.
Of all of the new characters being introduced in this story, I believe that Frost is my favorite. Frost speaks in abbreviated sentences - often leaving out nouns and verbs, and most certainly articles, if he feels they aren't necessary to make his point. He is truly a man of few words. But his words are endearing to us as a reader and to Teresa. He has a dry wit and a keen ability to speak his mind in a way that comes across funny to the reader. In this book, I really felt a deepening connection to the characters and really felt I was part of this story.
Tanks hijinks continue to confound the residents of the house, including Red. He finds himself (his dog self, that is) frequently apologizing and showing genuine remorse for things that Tank does - he's taking his raising of Tank seriously. And he is so excited for the newest resident in the house - "The Boy". David returns and brings Marcia and Wes (The Boy) with him. Red firmly believes that the boy was brought for him, because he needed more people to play with. Red continues to endear himself to the readers as he is truly a part of this family, and a part of Teresa. I could feel the love between them as they were first able to reestablish their mental and visual connections after being apart and how both of them used that connection to solve their imminent problem.
While the return of David means that Teresa can finally get the closure that she needs, I'm really coming to dislike David more and more. It's clear that he's remorseful for his actions but that doesn't excuse the behavior, and the verbal slips that he continues to exhibit upon his return. He's not the David I fell in love with in Blind Seduction. We see much less of his humor and his gregarious personality and he becomes much more brooding. Quite a personality "Freaky Friday" between Bastian and David from the beginning of the series until now.
Teresa and Bastian are finally able to consummate their relationship. Once again, the scenes are well written and don't take away from the over arching story line. They are again quite detailed and not for the "faint of heart" when it comes to reading intimacy in romance novels but I appreciate how well they are woven into the story.Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes and Noble
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