Bren and’ 13th installment in the epic Kincaid novels, Breaking Point is absolute fire. Lucy is often overlooked and disrespected by her fellow fibbies but she always comes out ahead. The series never gets stale

Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Breaking Point. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

FBI agent Lucy Kincaid once again puts her skills to the test, when she is asked to help dismantle a sex trafficking operation. Getting involved despite having ongoing issues with her new boss is risky for Lucy's career, but her background and expertise are crucial for the success of the mission. With an undercover civilian with ties to Lucy and her husband giving guidance when she can, will law enforcement be able to both shut down the operation and save to the young girls involved?

There were a lot of unrealistic situations and circumstances in the book, especially in regards to the office politics. The scenario that plays out throughout the book between Lucy and her boss is highly exaggerated and does not seem all that likely. With so many characters playing fast and loose with the rules, the book suffers from its sensationalist vibe. I like Lucy Kincaid for her sharp intellect and dogged determination to get at the truth, but this novel is just more of the same. The novel dragged in the middle and did not get its spark back until it was too late. Breaking Point was an average read for me, but those who are fans of the character may find it to their liking.

Everyone has a breaking point. It is just a matter of psychology - figuring out what was feared the most.

In the world of human trafficking, this thriller is all about the strength of women. In this case Lucy Kincaid and Bella Caruso.

The narration starts out strong and intense, Bella was sold by her step father and with the abuse she endured, the manipulation of her identity, she feared that she would loose her life and those that she loved. It was dangerous for her to care about anyone. Close to a breaking a point she eventually was rescued by her brother former navy seal turned private investigator.

With what Bella went thru, she now is on mission to stop the billion dollar industry, one cell at time, rescuing one girl at a time. She is in deep going under cover as doctor with a group of traffickers that are planning to grow their operation. Bella is looking for a girl, much like herself and she is determined to help her. Rescue her and any others without breaking her cover.

Bella's brother JT is working with his sister in the undercover operation and asks for Lucy Kincaid FBI agent's help. With their resources, they need to determine where the operation is going and who is supplying. The intensity grows as Bella stays in character while bringing some very bad men to justice.

With more people aware of human trafficking, it can still be incredulous that this can happen. It is amazing how this industry is works thru bogus business and the manipulation of women using fear and cutting them down. It does happen. The characters are strong in Breaking Point and are driven to help these women recover and to expose those that abuse them. Slavery is real. I thought the book brought some sobering details to light. The recovery of the women rescued and how the victims are moved and manipulated. My kind of thriller, informative and engaging.

A Special thank You to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

This is the 13th in the Lucy Kincaid series. Each book can be read as a stand alone . I do recommend the entire series.
The author has a talent for pulse pounding exciting thrillers and this is one of her best This case centers around a missing sister who has a Brother determined to find her and turns to Lucy. The case is dark taking place among human traffickers and Lucy soon finds herself in danger . The thrilling conclusion will keep you reading into the night.
I enjoy all of the authors work. I appreciate her well crafted suspenseful mysteries and how strong the character of Lucy is through each situation. While this novel did take a dark turn to the world of human trafficking it is very exciting to read and a great thriller.
I received a ARC from Net Galley and my opinions are my own. The author is a brilliant writer.

Alison Brennan in Breaking Point has written a very noir story about undercover work in the sex trade. Too much violence for me. Others will find the action very exciting.

A wonderful installment in the Rogan/Kincaid series. A beautiful theme about a brother's love for his sister and the sometimes mis-guided way it is expressed. Again an FBI agent puts what is right ahead of the rules and the punishment this time may be more than Lucy can handle.

Thanks to Minotaur Books for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first book by Allison Brennan and also book 13 (yes, thirteen) in the Lucy Kincaid series. I think with how long the series is it read fine as a standalone. I didn't feel like I was missing a lot of information. So if you're thinking about jumping into this one but are hesitant because it's so far into a series, there's no need to worry!

Bella Caruso is a survivor - she survived one night of awful abuse. She has now dedicated her life to saving other women from the nightmare that almost killed her all those years ago. She's not only able to help as a police officer, but she is more than willing to step outside the law to what she can to save these young women. Has she gone too far this time?

When Bella begins working undercover in a life threatening prostitution ring, her brother JT enlists the help of FBI Special Agent Lucy Kincaid. Despite her extensive background and experience in hunting down human traffickers, Kincaid has discovered this will be her most difficult case yet. Bella is on a mission to find this missing girl - not only is she in too deep, but she doesn't want to be found.

This book definitely falls under the category of romance suspense. I didn't realize it was in that genre until I began reading (and after I went and found it on release day in the romance section of the book store!). So this has that guilty pleasure vibe to it while still being a great thriller. I really liked Bella and Lucy. Two great female leads that will stop at nothing to protect other women from having to experience abuse and to help them escape human trafficking.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I would definitely go back and read the beginning of the series to get to know Lucy Kincaid a little better!

I give this 3.5/5 stars - rounded up for rating

Why has San Antonio-based FBI Special Agent Lucy Kincaid been put on ice? For months she’s been running cold cases, never assigned to go out in the field. Rachel Vaughn, her new boss, seems threatened by Kincaid’s stellar reputation. But Kincaid’s professional limbo ends abruptly due to an all-hands-on-deck situation involving underage girls and human traffickers.

JT Caruso—a friend and colleague to Lucy and her husband Sean Rogan—is frantic about his younger sister Bella’s safety. Once an officer of the law, Bella Caruso has been working undercover for months; her deep cover is that her physician’s license was revoked so she’s gone rogue to finance her gambling addiction. The perfect shadowy figure to keep a stable of frightened, demoralized young prostitutes physically healthy. Bella, because of her horrific backstory, is obsessed with bringing down the despicable men who have ruined the lives of hundreds of young girls. But JT fears she’s gone too deep.

JT Caruso often worries about his sister, given her line of work. This time, when he learns that Bella is working undercover to find a missing girl involved in a dangerous prostitution ring, JT asks FBI Special Agent Lucy Kincaid for help.

Breaking Point is not an easy read. Bella Caruso was sold into prostitution by her stepfather, who brokered his teenage stepdaughter’s future to clear a gambling debt. Bella’s flashbacks to the years before she was rescued are heartbreaking, very reminiscent of the brutal early years of Eve Dallas, the heroine of J. D. Robb’s In Death series.

Slowly, the reality of her fate broke through the numbness. She would be dead by dawn if Sergio found out she had killed the john, no matter what he had done to her. Whores were a dime a dozen. She was just one whore in the stable, and if one whore could kill a john, the others might get ideas.

you’re not a whore, you had no choice

Run away. The idea that there might be help somewhere had long ago been beaten out of her.

The teenage Bella knew she could never run away and disappear. Why then, after she was rescued by her brother JT, was she willing to risk her freedom years later to become “a prisoner” again? JT knows how much Bella’s risking. He confronts the man she’s working for, Simon Egan.

“Undercover work is dangerous,” JT said. “And the longer an operative stays deep, the more dangerous—and difficult—the work is. What did she have to do to prove herself? These people aren’t going to sit back and let her take the moral high ground on anything. Bella is going to have to live with the consequences of her actions—as if she doesn’t have enough to deal with.”

Bella’s perilous situation and Lucy’s knowledge of human trafficking converge. Lucy is told that Bella is missing—that “she may have been compromised”—and the house of cards may be collapsing. No one knows where Bella is. She’s cut off communication.

Lucy had never met JT’s sister. She didn’t know much about her other than she’d been a vice cop in Seattle for twelve years before quitting to work for a private organization that located missing persons, specifically runaways and minors sold into the US sex industry. She’d always wanted to meet the woman, but Sean said JT and Bella had had a falling out and it was a sensitive subject, so she didn’t push.

“What can I do?”

Kane slid over a piece of paper. Lucy opened it.

Martin Hirsch.

“He’s the number two guy, or partnered with someone known by the alias ‘Z.’ No known address, description, nada.”

If you have “nada,” Lucy Kincaid is the person you want on your team. Breaking Point is a heart-in-the-throat gallop to a terrifying finish. Will Bella Caruso allow herself to be found? Will Lucy and her team track down the human traffickers and rescue their victims? Understandably, readers can’t get enough of the Lucy Kincaid series. Bring on Too Far Gone, the 14th in the series, which drops in October 2018.

Breaking Point
by Allison Brennan

St. Martin's Press

Minotaur Books

General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 30 Jan 2018


I am reviewing a copy of Breaking Point through St Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley:

Bella Caruso is a survivor, she survived abuse and betrayal, and now she works to help save women from the very Hell she went through.


JT Caruso worries about his sister, with reason. She is dedicated to saving lives of the women who went through the abuse that nearly killed her. When he learns Bella is involved with a case of a missing girl involved in a dangerous prostitution ring, so JT asks special agent Lucy Kincaid for help.

Even with Lucy's extensive experience in running down human traffickers, finding Bella will not be easy not only because she is to deep, but Bella won't rest until she saves the girl who doesn't want to be fine.

I give Breaking Point five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
This is perhaps a darker book that some of the others in this series. It deals with sex trafficking including underage girls. As always, there is quite a lot of violence and gore but somehow I got past it. So many characters, so many places, so much to keep track of but by the end it all makes sense.
The book starts with lots of new characters which was confusing as one had the feeling one should know what is happening but you just don't. It ends up being a fast paced, suspenseful read. Really worth a couple of nights of your time.

It was a pretty intense thriller about a lady named Bella going undercover to break up a huge sex trafficking ring.

A fast paced thriller on a topical subject with two terrific heroines - Bella and Lucy. The sex trade is horrific (and some of the details here are hard to read) so it is incumbent upon us to respect those like Bella who have turned their hideous personal experience into a crusade to save others. In this case, though, things get more difficult but luckily, SA Lucy Kincaid, is enlisted and able to take on an effort to find Bella and save as many women as possible. This is the latest in a long running series and while I hadn't read all of them I did have a decent understanding of the characters- which I think helped with some of the nuance. That said, this could easily be read as a standalone because it's well plotted and written and, as noted, has two great, fully fleshed out female characters. Lucy's the woman you want if you're ever in trouble. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC.

Breaking Point is a superb suspense. Well written, good plot and well developed characters. I enjoy reading books by this author. I highly recommend this book

Breaking Point by Allison Brennan is another story that involves Lucy Kincaid and her new husband Sean Rogan. This fast paced story is suspenseful. It centers around an important topic and one very close to Lucy's heart. Lucy involves the FBI with Rogan-Caruso-Kincaid as they try to find and arrest an organization that kidnaps young woman frequently under 16 and forces them to engage in sexual acts with strangers. The struggle is personal for Lucy because of her past. Bella Caruso is involved in undercover work as she tries to personally bring down the organizations that turn women into sex slaves.

#BreakingPoint by Allison Brennan
#NetGalley
30 Jan 2018

I have always enjoyed Allison Brennan’s books but must have missed the first two in this Lucy Kincaid series. It can be read as a standalone but would probably have been an easier read having read the two previous in the series. It just slowed it down a little bit because there were so many characters and inter relations between them so it took awhile to get everyone straight. Other than that I had absolutely no complaints. The story line is about one of the most evil things done to humanity: young people trafficking. There must be a special part of hell where these people end up! The novel is action packed and I believe I read it in one sitting. I am definitely going to read the other books in the series and have no problem recommending it to others. I received this book from #NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. Great book!

I honestly do not rate many books 5 stars. but this one really hit all the right spots. A good plot, emotional, engaging, compelling, thrilling. As much as I love this series, I think this has been my favorite book and I hope we see Bella again in future books to get even more of her story.

Allison Brennan does it again with Breaking Point a darker side of human trafficking and what lengths people will go to bring down the flirt of the world.
Belle was trafficked as a teen and now is fighting back trying to bring down a sick group of men who will kill her without blinking. Belle goes deep undercover hoping to find a missing girl at the same time help the local law enforenement save a few along the way from LA to small town in Texas.
This dark gritty story has a ending that reader will cheer.
Readers do not need to start with the first in the series because each story has a new beginning and Allison has the ability to bring readers up to date without missing a beat.
With all Allison Brennan stories it is loaded with characters from first to last page and each one has a part and role to play.
This is a fast pace action mystery that will keep readers hook and wanting more from Allison Brennan.
Thank you to Netgelley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I've read a few books by Allison Brennan, including a couple in the series featuring Lucy Kincaid. I was a little worried coming in part way through after not having read the last few... however, that was actually not my biggest stumbling block when I first started this book.

It was more the 'other' players and their backstories. I really did feel like I'd inadvertently walked into someone else's party and didn't know anyone and kept missing the 'in' jokes. Names were being thrown around and I had NFI who anyone was. And I almost, almost.... ditched the book. But I'm very glad I didn't. Because, I may not have completely worked out who was who and what they all did, but I certainly became riveted by this story about two engaging and strong women: Lucy Kincaid and Bella Caruso.

The book kicks off with Bella's backstory. I'm not sure if she's previously featured in any of the novels in the series but her brother, JT, is a member of RCK (Rogan Caruso Kincaid) Protective Services and rescued her after her stepfather 'sold' her to a pimp when she was in her early teens.

When we next meet her (when the novel proper starts) she's infiltrated a prostitution ring (as a doctor to the girls and the various thugs hired to protect the boss and keep the girls and subcontracting madams in line). We learn however, that she's been a cop and fallen out with her brother in intervening years over her choice of employer. 

Meanwhile, Lucy's grappling with a new boss who seems OTT harsh on her - a result of some recent unauthorised exploits I gather. But she's informally (then formally) pulled into the investigation of the prostitution ring. And for me the story picked up A LOT at that point. I enjoyed the tussle between Lucy and her new boss... the way her boss's lack of approval concerned her, her eagerness to please and play by the rules - despite being a natural rule-breaker.

And then of course there were the team of ex military types involving a plethora of Kincaids and Carusos. (Well one or two of each anyway!)

Cutting a long story short... when things get out of hand Bella has a chance to walk away from her undercover gig, but refuses until she locates the girl she came to find; and hoping to get enough on the major players to take them down and prevent more underage girls being coerced or sold into the life she escaped. Of course there's a race against time as it seems Bella's cover is close to being blown and we already know the men she works with have no problems getting rid of loose ends.

What started as a bit of a chore for me became really gripping and I couldn't get through the second half (or third) quickly enough, flicking through electronic page after electronic page to discover everyone's fate.

I'm not quite sure how the many players and organisations (from Bella and Declan to Simon Egan to Genesis Road [Adam and Laura] to RCK [JT, Jack, Kane and Sean] to Lucy and her colleagues) could be better explained or encapsulated succinctly; but my confusion (and lack of initial engagement) was probably the weakest part of this for me. Of course, if I'd read other books in the series this probably would not be an issue and I liked the various characters enough to want to get to know them better. 

3.5 stars

Bella is deep under cover with a powerful figure in the sex trade business, specifically underage girls. Bella lived it years ago and now is searching for a specific young girl but she also has a goal of shutting down the network. She is so deep undercover she may have lost her perspective. FBI agent Lucy gets involved in the case but she has a new boss. Things aren’t going well with her new boss which creates problems for Lucy and her work on the investigation.

The details about the sex trade, underage young girls being forced into prostitution, were hard to read. This novel was fast paced and hard to put down. It is part of a series and could stand alone but the reader might understand the relationships between the characters better by reading previous books in the series. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

So much happened in this one, so many ties, past and present come into play. But I think what interested me the most was the battle of wills between Lucy and her boss. I thought there Lucy did a great job most of the time and took the high road. Not sure I would have been able to do the same, I probably would have used my connections to bitch slap her, instead Lucy tried to hide things from everyone else and hoped things would work out. Not sure I believe what the boss said at the end, seems a bit too clean of a new start.

The rest of the book often broke my heart. I hate to see girls abused, but to be forced into sex trafficking, so hard to read about. Everyone did a great job of getting to the bottom of things with who the big fish were. I loved the combined effort at the end, was glad so many were taken out of play and happy that some characters were able to go home and find peace. I especially loved the interrogation that Lucy lead with one bad guy. She played him like a fiddle and he didn't have clue.