Breaking Point, Suzanne Brockmann

Aaaaaand I'm all caught up on the Brockmann books, well before the next one comes out at the end of October. Thank you, paperbackswap.com for enabling my habit.

So if Jules is normally a bit of a Ken Doll (because he's gay, you see, so he's pretty and short and non-threatening) then in this book he gets to be G.I. Joe. Interestingly this is the first book where the SEALs don't even make an appearance, but the three men in it are totally bad-ass; Grady Morant, who was tortured in a tropical prison for three years, Max Bhagat the FBI's top negotiator, and of course Jules Cassidy, who is competent and smart and who seriously needs to stop using the word "Sweetie" all the time. (Confidential to Brockmann: I know you have a gay son, but does he actually call his boss 'sweetie'? Doesn't he get fired for that shit?) 

The plot goes a little something like this: Max and Gina kiiiiiiiiinda got together in the last book, but as we find out here he was a dumbass and dumped her so she went to Africa without him, where she met up with the awesome woman from Indonesia a couple of books ago, and they both help girls escape from female circumcision. AWESOME. Then Grady shows up, finally convinced he's gotten rid of all the guys trying to kill him, and a lot of dirty sex ensues. (Max and Gina also have tons of dirty sex, via flashback.) Only this is the least romantic romance novel ever, because Max gets a phone call that Gina's been killed by terrorists and totally loses his shit, and only Jules keeps him from, quite literally, killing several people. Jules and Max have to figure out if Gina's dead (she's not) and where she is and then fight off half the army of East Timor. Jules finally finally gets to kick some major ass (he doesn't get any lovin', but that's because the next book is Force of Nature, which, as you know, features JULES AND ROBIN!!!). Max gets tons more character development. Grady remains hot. And for all the dirty, dirty sexin' it's way more of an action-adventure book about running and blowing things up and stuff. 

I will say it's a weirdly different tone than most of the rest of the series. I think it's partially because of all the flashbacks and partially because it's mostly FBI action and no SEALS. I liked it, although it didn't make my heart sing like most of the other books featuring Jules. Max and Grady are also awesome, and Gina and uh, the other woman (you can tell I forgot her name and am too lazy to go get the book, right?) are both super-great. There's a lot of babies, though. Must every woman find fulfillment through babies? 

Y'all just wait until All Through The Night  comes out. I can't even talk about it.

Grade: B

Originally posted 2007