✦Review: SILENT THREAT (Mission Recovery Book 1) by Dana Marton https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-ayv
Publication Date: January 2, 2018
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 4.5 Stars

It’s always nice when I like the main characters right off the bat, Annie and Cole gave me that from the beginning. I don’t think Annie needed such an extensive back-story, but it in no way detracted from her personality. She was lovely, and her type of therapy something new for me. Cole had a lot of painful layers, but that made him a wonderful wounded hero for this story. They were a fun couple to read about in this suspenseful mystery. It sure kept me guessing until the end. I liked this fast-paced, sexy romance.

*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


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A good start to a new series.

This review is a first for me… It's the first time that I've reviewed a book that I switched back and forth between listening to the audio version and reading the Kindle version. Whispersync really is pretty cool.

I loved this book – while I was reading it – so 5 stars for Dana Marton's writing; it's what I've come to expect of her books. Descriptive prose, a strong male lead and a strong female lead, although not someone who is physically strong.

I'm sorry to say that I didn't enjoy listening to this story very much. When I switched to audio my attention drifted from the book and I had to go back and read the part I'd just listened to. I can't really put my finger on it but I think I would have enjoyed this story more if the narrator had been male instead of female. I think the voice was almost too soothing. When reading the story, in my mind the story felt more suspenseful and I kind of fell in love with Cole. Hearing his words in a deep female voice just didn't really work for me that well. So, I have to give the narrator 3 stars.

I think the story starts out in kind of an unusual way – describing what happened to someone an hour before he died. I was a tiny bit confused at first but loved the way it ended up making sense later in the story. I also think that Dana did a great job of hiding the identity of the villain until she wanted us to know who it was.

The story had my heart pounding in places, breaking in others and ultimately brought it all together. Silent Threat was a thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable story to read. I'm happy to know that there will be another book in this series.

A review copy of the ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

Silent Threat is the first book in Mission Recovery and I really enjoyed it. Both Annie and Cole are very likable characters with a strong backstory and great character development. I really enjoyed the way they met and the relationship that developed. It was a slow friends to more build while Cole slowly came to the realization that his disabilities didn't define him and Annie learned to trust someone. There was some angst but it was just the right amount and not OTT. A great mix of suspense and a slow burn romance as well. I really enjoyed the way the stalker plot and Cole's reasons for "seeking treatment" came together. There were plenty of red herrings that kept me guessing and although I figured the villain out by the 50% mark I did second guess myself several times. I really liked that Annie was able to help Cole and the echo therapy was interesting but I'm also glad that it wasn't a miracle cure for him. I also loved the banter and bit of humor that added to the book and made it a very well rounded read. I did think the climax was just a little bit rushed but I really enjoyed the epilogue at the end.

I really enjoyed this romantic suspense and look forward to another book in the series.

Ms. Marton is one of my favorite writers of romantic suspense. Her "Broslin Creek” series has some stories that I loved. This new series is a spin-off of “Broslin Creek”, with brief appearances of some of my favorite characters, although it can be read as a stand-alone.

In this instalment, we have MC´s who are not perfect. This is always a plus. Cole suffers a severe PTSD due to torture suffered during his captivity at enemy hands, which also left him deaf. And Annie has also gone through several traumatic events at an early age that have marked her and make her become what she is today, an eco-therapist.
This has been an original angle. I've always known about the benefits of animals and nature in people with traumas, but this turn so “earthy” that the author shows us has been a new one for me. The pity is that she has left it at a couple of clichés and has not deepened into the matter, but it has been original.

The main plot revolves around Annie's ex, who has become a stalker since she ended things with him, and around Cole's undercover mission in the rehabilitation center where Annie works and where he was admitted as a patient.
This is the source of “stress” between the couple. The doctor-patient relationship that makes the romance “highly” inappropriate.

But this time the story has not flowed as it should. There have been important inconsistencies, or at least, improbabilities. It has been hard for me to believe that a person with a disorder as severe as Cole is the most appropriate to perform that covert job. Add to this that he will have to investigate and spy until he finds the bad guy with the handicap of deafness. The author shows us on more than one occasion how difficult it is for him to carry out this work properly, but she never explains why he is the one chosen to do it.

The “doctor-patient relationship´s” issue was a real one. Even though Cole was not “really” admitted as a patient, that does not mean he doesn´t really needed it and that his doctor was Annie, so that relationship has shocked me. And I was shocked that nobody had anything to say about Annie's lack of professionalism.

And finally, there is the suspense, (sadly) with the POV of the bad guy, who this time, has been a caricature, a character without a background and with the hackneyed obsessions of trying to sexually subdue the heroine. But at no time do we get to see how he does all his misdeeds. It has been one of those cases in which the bad guy does and undoes at his heart content and the good guys do not have a clue of what is going on.

And the epilogue has been so cloying. All the characters living their HEA without solving all the problems they were carrying. I couldn´t buy it.

So this is not the best I have read by this author. The story has felt underdeveloped and unrealistic. It has lacked depth in its characters and plot. There were some original elements but it hadn´t been enough.

***

La señora Marton es una de mis escritoras favoritas de suspense romántico. Su serie “Broslin Creek” tiene algunas historias que me encantaron. Esta nueva serie es un spin-off de Broslin Creek, con la aparición muy breve de alguno de mis personajes favoritos, aunque se puede leer sin necesidad de leer la anterior.

En este caso volvemos a tener unos protagonistas que no son perfectos. Esto siempre es un plus. Cole sufre un severo trastorno de estrés postraumático debido a torturas sufridas durante su cautiverio en manos enemigas, que también lo dejó sordo. Y Annie también ha pasado por varios eventos traumáticos a una edad temprana que la han marcado y convertido en lo que hoy es, una eco-terapeuta.
Este también ha sido un ángulo original. Siempre he conocido de los beneficios de los animales y la naturaleza en las personas con traumas, pero este giro tan “terrenal” que nos muestra la autora ha sido nuevo para mí. La pena es que se ha quedado en un par de clichés y no ha profundizado en el asunto, pero ha sido original.

La trama principal de la historia gira en torno al ex de Annie, que se ha vuelto un acosador desde que lo dejaron, y alrededor de la misión encubierta que Cole lleva a cabo en el centro de rehabilitación donde Annie trabaja y donde él ha sido admitido como paciente.
Esta es la fuente principal de “estrés” entre la pareja. La relación médico-paciente que hace que el romance sea “muy” inadecuado.

Pero esta vez la historia no ha fluido como debería. Ha habido inconsistencias, o al menos, improbabilidades. Me ha costado creer que una persona con un trastorno tan severo como Cole sea la más adecuada para realizar ese trabajo encubierto. Añade a esto que va a tener que investigar y espiar hasta dar con el malo con el hándicap de la sordera. La autora nos muestra en más de una ocasión lo difícil que es para él realizar este trabajo adecuadamente, pero nunca llega a explicar porqué es el elegido para llevarlo a cabo.

El problema de la relación médico-paciente era un problema real. A pesar de que Cole no estaba ingresado “realmente” como paciente, eso no quita que lo necesitase realmente y que su doctora era Annie, así que me ha chocado esa relación. Y me ha chocado que nadie tuviera nada que decir acerca de la poca profesionalidad de Annie.

Y por último tenemos la trama del suspense, (desgraciadamente) con punto de vista del malo, que esta vez, ha sido una caricatura, un personaje sin fondo y con las tan manidas obsesiones de someter sexualmente a la protagonista. Pero en ningún momento vemos cómo hace y consigue todas sus fechorías. Ha sido uno de esos casos en los que el malo hace y deshace y los buenos no tienen ni la más remota idea de qué está pasando.

Y el epílogo ha sido muy empalagoso. Todos completamente felices sin hablar ni solucionar esos problemas tan graves que arrastraban. Me ha costado mucho creer ese final feliz.

En fin, que no ha sido lo mejor que he leído de esta autora. Esta historia no ha sido original y tampoco realista, le ha faltado profundizar en personajes y trama, se ha quedado en la superficie.

"Silent Threat" by Dana Marton is book one of her new series, Mission Recovery. I enjoyed this tale, liked the characters and found the twists interesting and intriguing. Ms. Marton had me guessing the whole time as to who the bad guy was. Our main couple were likable and Ms. Marton does a good job of introducing the reader to, no only their strengths, but their faults as well. I enjoyed seeing Annie and Cole navigate their paths along their journey. I will certainly be looking forward to book two of this series and, if you enjoy suspense, a few twists and a true connection between characters, check this out.

A promising start to the Mission Recovery series, Silent Threat is an intriguing romantic suspense. I enjoyed the characters and the sub plots and look forward to reading more.

Silent Threat is Book One of Dana Marton's Mission Recovery series. This is the first Dana Marton book I have read however it certainly won't be the last. In typical "first book" fashion, there was a lot of back story/plot build up initially which did put the romance portion on a bit of a back burner.

This story was engaging and while I wouldn't say I felt a strong connection to the characters at first, I did eventually warm up to them and they drew me into their world. I looked forward to reading what Cole and Annie would encounter next. As for the suspense aspect, the author certainly kept me guessing throughout.

Overall, this was a nice start to a new series and I look forward to seeing what else Dana Marton has to offer.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley.

I liked that Annie was an ecotherapist. I enjoyed reading about her occupation and the impact it had on her patients. I loved the way she adapted for Cole's hearing loss and the tender moments that occurred between them.

Silent Threat held my attention from the very beginning. I love Dana Marton's romantic suspense novels and I can't wait to see what's next in the series!


I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary Advance Reader Copy.

Cole Hunter is a tattooed, muscled, protective, alpha male, combat injured, medically retired Navy Seal. He is deaf and has minimal use of his right arm. His former CO calls and asks him to go undercover at Hope Hill to find who is leaking confidential military information to the enemy. Hope Hill is a healing place for recovering vets with psychological and/or physical injuries.

Annie Murray is an average looking ecotherapist with dreams of opening her own animal sanctuary. While I believe alternative therapies have a place in modern medicine, she came across as an over the top, sappy, Mary Poppins. She has not had any positive male relationships to date and currently has a stalker.

Cole signs himself into Hope Hill and begins his introduction into the different types of therapies available to him. When he meets Annie, he is rolling his eyes at her tree hugger ways. While he doesn’t officially sign up for her therapy, he finds himself taking frequent nature hikes with her. Cole is surprised when Annie’s unconventional nature therapy helps him unwind and relax.

While Annie finds herself attracted and drawn to Cole, she staunchly uses the no therapist/patient relationships allowed as an excuse to keep Cole at arms length. Yet, she continues to seek him out, goes with him when he seeks her out, and takes him to her house to help feed her animals.

There are several “no way would this happen or be allowed IRL” moments. If you can get past those, it’s a good interwoven romantic suspense. Annie and Cole’s relationship is slow developing for most of the book. I figured out early who the stalker was, and was pretty sure who the traitor was.

I struggled with Annie’s character and never came to really like her. I really liked the concept of Hope Haven, intermingling modern medicine with alternative therapies.

This my first book by this author and an ok read. I’d be interested in seeing where the author takes this series next.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

3.5 stars--SILENT THREAT is the first instalment in Dana Marton’s contemporary, adult MISSION RECOVERY romantic, suspense series. This is former Navy SEAL Cole Makani Hunter, and eco-therapist Annie Murray’s story line. The Mission Recovery series is a spin off from (or loosely connected) to the author’s Broslin Creek series. Several characters cross over for cohesion and familiarity. You do not have to have read the original series to follow or understand any of the events of the current story line

Told from several third person perspectives including Cole Hunter and Annie Murray SILENT THREAT follows the building relationship between former Navy SEAL Cole Hunter and eco-therapist Annie Murray. Cole Hunter returned from his latest disastrous Black Ops mission a broken man but a man determined to take down a traitor thought to be working out of Hope Hill, a local rehab centre for wounded vets. Enter eco-therapist Annie Murray, a would-be animal rehabber with whom our hero will fall in love. What ensues is the slow building romance between Annie and Cole, and the potential fall out as Annie is targeted by a psychotic mind.

Annie Murray finds solace in the rehabilitation of animals and man. A ‘tree-hugging’ eco-therapist Annie’s form of therapy connects man with nature in an attempt to ground the client when things begin to spiral out of control. Cole Hunter is a former Navy SEAL who battles his own demons including his escalating PTSD from his time as a POW, a loss of hearing, and an injury that has left our hero struggling without the use of his arm. When a traitor is discovered selling secrets to the enemy Cole must go undercover at Hope Hill to ferret out the person responsible for selling out the American government, risking the lives of the men and women who serve.

The relationship between Annie and Cole is slow to build as Annie believes Cole is her client, and Cole is on a mission to find the person responsible for destroying so many lives. As their friendship begins to grow so do the threats against our story line heroine –threats believed to be coming from a stalker who is determined to pull Annie back into his life. The $ex scenes are limited, mostly implied and fade to black.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including several members of the local police force, and a number of former military vets who are battling their own demons from outside and within. We are introduced to Annie’s cousin Kelly whose need to succeed threatens Annie’s stability and home; and Dr. Dan Ambrose, the resident psychiatrist at Hope Hill.

SILENT THREAT is a story of romance and suspense; betrayal and revenge; falling in love and moving on from the past. The premise is intriguing; the romance is sweet but I had a difficult time connecting with the couple’s attraction to one another due in part to the very slow build towards friendship and love; the characters are eclectic and colorful.

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Back to Broslin, PA, a small town that has had more than it's share of serial killers. Former Broslin policeman, Murphy Dolan and Kate (Deathwatch), returned to Broslin and build Hope Hill, an alternative-therapy rehab center for veterans. Ecotherapist, Annie Murray, has recently returned to Broslin. Cole Makini Hunter, former Navy SEAL, suffers from depression, PTSD, loss of hearing, and loss of mobility in right arm. He was a POW, tortured and then needed multiple surgeries. Warriors shouldn't need therapy, so most veterans are reluctant to get it. He agreed to come to make his mother happy, but also was given a secret mission by his former commanding officer. That did not include him being attracted to Annie, enjoying her company or finding that she settled him and made him feel better. But someone is stalking Annie, and while Cole believes he is not good for her, he vows to make sure she is safe before he leaves. As always in Broslin, nothing is as it appears and also as always, great character development, detailed environment descriptions and an interesting plot with lots of twists and red herrings. Everyone who has enjoyed reading the Broslin Creek series will want to read this one too. There is also a side story about Annie's cousin Kelly. I received a free advanced copy from netgalley.com for an honest review.

Loved the main characters. They are flawed, have horrible past issues, but are reaching for more in life. The book grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go. I look forward to the next one in this series. Dana Marton is sure to captivate me.

SILENT THREAT by Dana Marton. Mission. Recovery #1
This plot grabs you from the first, we meet Annie, and Joey, he refuses to take the no answer, and leave her alone. The first meeting with Cole.
Civilian readjustment dress and with nature was Annie’s line of work, at Hope Center, working part time. Meeting Cole a rehab vet , who has come in as an undercover op’s. A simple request to take off his boots, and walk in the grass, gets his defense up, a soldier never takes his boots off. Your heart goes out to Cole, and what is going on with him. He doesn’t want to be there, she won’t back down, tells him “he is off balance” . Turns to be more when she has a stalker, he wants to protect, This has a depth to the story that readers won’t forget, especially of Cole, deaf, he feels with his heart. The mission he was sent to do, escalates, and there is danger of who to thrust. A great read once again by Dana.

Annie Murray has moved to Broslin for a job and to be close to her family there. She is a quirky ecotherapist and animal lover who puts her beliefs into actions in her everyday life. Working for a rehab center for veterans with PTSD, Annie does not expect to have any real problems other than how to deal with the horrific past of her patients. But Annie is being stalked and is in danger from the stalker who has her in his crosshairs. Annie meets Cole at the rehab center and really falls for him hard, but she struggles to maintain her patient/therapist relationship while Cole struggles to overcome the nightmares of war that haunt him. Annie has a delightfully humorous daily caring time with a group of misfit animals that she has adopted. These include baby skunks, a one-eyed donkey, a pig and llamas. Her time with these animals is a period when the reader can relax from the fast-moving drama and danger presented in the regular plot of the book. SILENT THREAT was a great read with danger lurking constantly, a real love story and a realistic portrayal of the products of war on the minds of the men fighting..

Great mystery. Kept me guessing. Cole and Annie, the mother of skunks, are adorable together.

You know that I love my wounded and imperfect heroes. In Silent Threat, I got my imperfect hero in Cole Makani Hunter, former Navy SEAL who lost his hearing and most of the use of one arm after an attack and several months of torture at the hands of insurgents. His description made me picture, Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson and it just fit the characters. He is a very large, muscled and very imposing man. Several times he slumps and tries to make himself appear non-threatening to Annie or others that he meets because he knows that he is a big scary guy. As a SEAL, that was great, but back in civilian life, it is not always such a great thing.

Cole has been sent to Hope Hill, a rehab center for veterans, because someone intercepted a message to Yemin with sensative military information which appears to have come for the facility. He needs to find out if the traitor works at the center or is a patient there and stop him. Since Cole was badly injured after his last mission, and spent some time as a POW before escaping, he goes in as a new patient.

Hope Hill features the normal rehab psychiatrist and therapists, but also has several more creative therapies, including Annie Murray who teaches ecotherapy. Annie feels that connecting with nature helps bring an inner peace to the vets, especially those suffering PTSD. While Cole calls her a tree-hugger, her therapy is more planting plants or just going for a walk and enjoying the sounds of the leaves rustling and birds singing. I liked that manly-man Cole tried to intimidate Annie into letting him out of her tree-hugging program, and that Annie wouldn’t back down to him until he gave it a try. After a barefoot walk through the woods and his first nap without drugs since he returned to the States, big guy Cole gives a reluctant, I guess it’s okay and becomes a begrudging believer in Annie’s work.

There is a quiet calm about Annie which seems to be her biggest problem. Annie is the focus of several enthusiastic suitors–you might call them stalkers–but men seem to have a big problem walking away from Annie. Unlike most stalker novels where the heroine is so beautiful that all men must have her. Here, Annie is attractive but the men focus on her because she is just a kind-soul who has a strong inner peace. Annie’s calm demeanor and gentle touch are a beacon to all these damaged souls and they all need to be with her.

It is the soldier in Cole that realizes that one of her stalkers is escallating. He then insists on accompanying Annie to take care of her rescued animal (part of her soft-heartednesss). Unfortunately, while Cole is sticking by Annie for protection and his own obsessive need to be with her, his presence is sending the stalker into fits and creating more problems for Annie.

I can’t help my own obsession with trying to figure out who the bad guy is in any mystery, but Silent Threat kept me guessing and bouncing around the possible suspects and oddly, that makes me very happy.

Overall, Silent Threat was an enjoyable story with strong characters, a believeable storyline and a perfect amount of tension to keep you reading.

I’m really not sure if this book is great or if I didn’t like it at all...
The suspense is so so. I guessed who the vilain was quite early and it left only the chase that made me uneasy.
I don’t know if it’s that I couldn’t envision the moves and feelings of the hero or if it”s that I couldn’t understand the heroine”s influence on men or if it”s that I”m not into animals and pets, but in the end it felt weird...
That”s sad because Dana is one of my favorite authors.

Wow!

Super sweet with a boat load of intrigue and suspense. Another great story by Ms. Marton.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy.

This was a good story for the most part, but unfortunately I just found it really hard to get into. As it was very slow to get going and overall very slow paced.
There also wasn't as much suspense or action as I was expecting and what suspense there was came pretty late on. Yet I must say I never once guessed who the stalker was until it was revealed, which was a good thing.
As for the characters they didn't exactly light up this story. But they were likable, Cole more so than Annie. Who I found a little too new agey for my taste. Yet they worked together pretty well and there was enough in this story altogether. To keep me interested throughout and I'm sure anyone who is a fan of this author will enjoy Silent Threat.

Books about wounded warriors battling their injuries, both physical and mental, are right up my alley, especially if you add some suspense. The fact the hero had lost the use of his right arm and his hearing gave me a bit of pause as I wondered if that was a bit much. I know this happens to our soldiers but I didn't know if a man recently so grievously wounded would be believable as the hero of a romantic suspense. I should have listened to my inner voice as I was right: everything I read was both a bit of overkill.

At the 8% mark I wrote myself this note: "We have a quirky but TSTL ecotherapist (which is seriously whacked to start with), a recently deaf, horribly cranky navy seal suffering from PTSD and anger issues but who can read lips like nobody's business even though the deaf thing is new, and a crazy serial killer who nobody has noticed is preying on patients in this small little rehab hospital. So far I'm not impressed."

It didn't improve after that at all. In fact, it just went downhill from there. The hits just kept coming, from the little ecotherapist forgetting about the fact his father committed suicide and asking about his family, to their little tiptoe through the tulips barefoot so they could soak up the earth's healing energy through their feet, to the fact she unloaded on him her personal problems all within their first hour long session. About the time she was telling him about her own personal stalker because of her penchant for dating losers, I screamed Uncle and gave up. I can overlook some things, but this was just too much. DNF 15%

I loved reading this story, I couldn;t put it down. I recommend this author for all the fans of Suzan Brockmann's stories. Slient Treatment dealt with a solider caming back from the middle east, deaf, unable to use his righr arm. and suffering with PTSD. Having a degree is Pyschology myself, I understood some of the therapy they were doing with the vets. The story was a murder mystry, an action adventure and romance all in one. The author does a great job of bring the reader into the story, too cheer for the hero,