Breaking Point - Pamela Clare

http://www.pamelaclare.com/

Denver journalist Natalie Benoit and Deputy U.S. Marshal Zach McBride find themselves captives of a bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartel. Working together, they escape through the desert toward the border, the attraction between them flaring hotter than the Sonoran sun. They fight to stay ahead of the danger that hunts them as forces more powerful than they can imagine conspire to destroy them both...

Pamela Clare’s stories are like the most decadent piece chocolate. I savored each word of every page thoroughly. Ms. Clare is a gifted wielder of words, spinning a story with suspense, intrigue, sexy heroes, strong heroines, and emotion I feel in my heart as well as my tear ducts. Ms. Clare has provided me with many hours of reading pleasure, novels that I could continue to read long after the last page. This story is no different, it is exactly the kind of novel I have come to expect from her. Thank you Pamela for introducing me to the world of romantic suspense novels, you have set the bar high.

This story starts with a bang, and drops us right in the middle of Ciudad Juarez where drug, and human trafficking cartels are prevalent and rule the streets. Natalie Benoit is there for a convention and tour, when the tour bus is taken over by Zetas, one of the drug cartels, and Natalie is captured and imprisoned, with the promise of sexual slavery and death looming. She is thrown into a dark, dirty arachnid infested cell, and quickly discovers that she has a neighbor, Zach Black (McBride) who is a highly decorated war hero, turned US Marshal. Zach has already been there days ahead of her, and has suffered extreme torture at the hands of the Zetas. With her impending future of rape and death, and Zach’s certain torturous death to come, they must find a way to escape.

After escaping from their prison, and on the run from the Zetas, Zach has promised to get Natalie safely home to US soil. Not able to trust the government officials in Mexico because the Zetas have many of them on their payroll, Zach and Natalie set out on an incredible journey of survival. Along the way, they find that they have more in common than circumstances that have brought them together.

Natalie is such a strong character, mentally and physically, but her heart has been through some trauma that has left her alone for the past 6 years. And Zach *sigh* is a war hero, who doesn’t feel heroic at all, due to events in Afghanistan in which he blames himself. He has no concept of the hero he truly is. Can Natalie make him see the man he really is? Can Zach help Natalie overcome her past?

I don’t want to give up too much of the story, one of the best things was unraveling this page by page. It was fast paced, perfectly written, the characters were excellent, swoon worthy, both Natalie and Zach were heroic. And I loved that the previous characters; Gabe, Julian, and Marc were all in this book, not just a brief appearance.

This book is Romantic Suspense perfection!!

**Favorite Quote:

He held up the AK-47, the muscles in his arm bunching against the weight. “This is an assault rifle.” Then held up the handgun. “This is a semi-automatic pistol.”
Then he gave a little thrust of his hips and looked down at his penis. “That is my gun. As you’ve discovered, it’s pumpaction like a shotgun , but it doesn’t fire bullets.” - Playful Zach to Natalie

“When I realized I was going to die, the only thing I could think about was you and what an idiot I’d been for not telling you how I felt about you. I think I’ve loved you from the moment you lifted that awful blindfold off my face. I opened my eyes, and there you were, the bravest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. You set me free Natalie. In so many ways, you set me free.” - Zach to Natalie