Scorched (Tracers Series Book 6)

Scorched is a romantic supsense novel by Laura Griffin, published by Pocket books in Oct. 2012. The paperback version is 387 pages long.Kelsey Quinn is a forensic anthropologist working at the Delphi Center crime lab. While on a mission in the Phillipines, a body is discovered that raises a lot of questions. While looking for clues about the man's identity, Kelsey's ex-fiance,Blake, is murdered in front of her and she barely escapes with her life. Kelsey's ex-boyfriend Gage Brewer, a navy SEAL is suspect number one. But, Kelsey saw the whole thing and knows Gage is not responsible. Upon hearing of Kelsey's disapperance, Gage takes off to find her. The two of them find themselves on the run, with only each other to trust. They begin trying to find out who killed Blake and what connection his death has to the body found in the Phillipines. Gage and Kelsey undercover a huge terrorist threat that involves bioterrorism.The last person on earth Kelsy wanted to be alone with was Gage Brewer. She had spent the last eight months working overtime trying to get over him. Gage had broken off with Kelsey after she had given him the ultimatum of chosing the SEALS or her. Once they are thrown back together again the chemistry between them is still undeniable. Will they be able to work through their differences? This book has all the components a good romantic suspense novel should have. The plot was very well thought out and constructed. This is an edge of your seat thriller, with a perfect blend of romance . The CSI team working with the SEALS mixed brains and brawn to make the story appealing to everyone. Watching Kelsey and Gage work together as a team and grow up emotionally along the way was also fun to watch. The secondary characters give us a hint of action and romance yet to come.Laura Griffin is now one of my favorite authors of this genre. Superb!I recommend this one for adults only. Language, violence, Strong sexual content/situations.Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for advancing me a copy of this book to review. I LOVED it!

Sixth in the Tracers romantic suspense series revolving around law enforcement and the employees at the Delphi Center. The couple focus is on Dr. Kelsey Quinn and her ex-boyfriend, Navy SEAL Gage Brewer.

My Take
Sure, I get why she and Gage broke up. It's tough maintaining a long-distance relationship. But for Kelsey to get ticked because Gage can't tell her the top-secret details about his missions is just incredibly stupid. Does she tell him the details about cases she's working? I didn't think so. So, what's the difference?

Ahh, it's so cute that Kelsey thinks she can make Gage back off. Heck, between the protection and sharing a bed with a hot Navy SEAL...what is her problem?

As irritated as I was by Kelsey's attitude, this was a great story. Griffin gave us lots of action, answered (and left) lots of questions, and I loved the loyalty their friends showed both Gage and Kelsey. I do think Griffin could have ratcheted up the tension a bit. We know that Kelsey will come out okay and I vibrated at the thought of them going after Gage, and almost all the instances of the bad guys going after them were just a little too easy. I enjoyed Derek's cheekiness as he misled Elizabeth. I can't wait to read their story!

The Story
Dr. Kelsey Quinn is on the lam. The FBI thinks she murdered or saw who murdered her ex-fiancé, Special Agent Blake Reid. The truth is she did see who murdered Blake, and she can't trust anyone in law enforcement!

It's days later that the FBI shows up on the base in San Diego, wanting to talk to Gage about his whereabouts before Gage learns what happened. That Kelsey is missing. Uh-uh. He'll find her and without that FBI tail.

The Characters
Dr. Kelsey Quinn is the bone doctor, a forensic anthropologist at the Delphi Center. Her Uncle Joe is Gage's CO. Aaron is her field assistant. Her friends at Delphi include Ben Lawson in cyber-crimes (Mark Wolfe runs the division, Twisted (Tracers, #5) ) and Dr. Mia Voss, a DNA analyst (her story is in Unforgivable (Tracers, #3)). Dr. Froehler is the medical examiner for Travis County.

Lieutenant Gage Brewer is a SEAL (read up on this and Kelsey's back history in Deadly Promises: Unstoppable (Tracers, #2.5)). His teammates include Mike Dietz; Lieutenant Junior Grade Derek Vaughan---he'll be stepping up to help Gage out with Elizabeth, although he wants nothing to do with Kelsey; Luke; and, Jones. Jeff Hallenback is their new CO taking Joe's place.

Special Agent Blake Reid of the FBI is also Kelsey's ex-fiancé. And he's got information for her on the DNA she sent him from the Philippines. Special Agent Trent Lohman is a coworker. Rick Bolton is the head of Counter Terrorism for the FBI.

Elizabeth LeBlanc is a newbie FBI agent sent to pick up Supervisory Special Agent Gordon Moore who is arriving in town to investigate Blake's murder; he'll use Elizabeth's inexperience for his benefit. Nor is it his only tacky move.

Charles Weber in Utah is really Dr. Robert Spurlock, a scientist specializing in microbiology, Bacillus anthracis in particular. Dr. Shamus at UC Berkeley whose doctorate is in civil engineering. Marissa Ramli has a young daughter, Leila. And she is supportive of her brother Adam Ramli, a.k.a., Asmar Husin. Manuel Artigas is a career criminal and a snitch in South Texas.

The Cover
The cover looks like a lava field all reds, oranges, and a hint of green while a finger of a plateau [does anyone know the proper term for this?] and Kelly are silhouetted in black.

There are many possibilities in this story, but my favorite is the number of people who are Scorched by events in this installment.

Forensic anthropologist Kelsey Quinn has grown accustomed to seeing murder victims, but when the victim is her ex-fiancée Blake, and it happens right in front of her, everything changes. On the run from Blake's killers, Kelsey gets help from an unlikely source--Navy SEAL Gage Brewer, the man she fell in love with and who ultimately broke her heart. As Gage and Kelsey try to stay alive, they uncover a plot that threatens the nation. The fight against terrorism has knocked on their door, and they'll have to find someone they can trust to save themselves and millions of innocent people.

What makes Scorched so good is the way Laura Griffin combines fiction with reality. The reality being terrorism. The characters do battle against foes that are all too real. The romance and suspense blend perfectly as well, giving Laura Griffin fans exactly what they expect from her: a fresh, exciting, story that never goes stale. Gage and Kelsey's relationship tugs on your heartstrings. You'll be rooting for them from the beginning, especially if you've read the novelette Unstoppable. Their connection goes beyond sexual chemistry, and their feelings are tangible, but the obstacles in their way seem insurmountable. Scorched is a sizzling novel of suspense. It's the perfect addition to the Tracers series.

Nannette for Joyfully Reviewed

Holy Cannoli Batman what a ride-a-minute, action-packed story Laura Griffin delivers in Scorched.

I loved it from the body bits to bomb bits to bioterrorism and terrorist bits. And let us not forget some ever-lovin' smexy bits.

Both Gage and Kelsey are extremely strong and competent characters. Both the ultimate professionals and dedicated to their jobs...which can be a problem of major proportions if you`re in or thinking of having a relationship. The bone doc and the Navy SEAL have such a past and it didn`t end well. An ultimatum was issued that left them both dissatisfied with the outcome and lots of unresolved feelings.

Secondary characters aren't always a hit with me but Griffin does an excellent job of making them an integral part of Scorched and made me what to spend face time with them and someday hope they might appear in a future book. Gage's SEAL buddy Derek and the newbie FBI agent Elizabeth fit the bill perfectly.

I burned up the pages to finish Scorched, stayed up way too late and was totally invested in the storyline.

4 stars taut, gripping suspense with a sexy hero, a sweet romance and a plot rife with danger and intrigue.

I do confess to mixed feelings embarking on this novel. On the one hand, having loved Kelsey and Gage's story in the novella Unstoppable in the Deadly Promises anthology, I was just a little saddened that their Happy Ever After turned out to be just Happy For Now. It's been shown slowly in the last few Tracers novels and I felt a sense of loss that their relationship had broken down. On the other hand, having loved them both so much together and having thought they deserved a much longer story, I was delighted that they were back for more and I was really rooting for them to rediscover and hold onto that Happy Ever After that had been so challenging to deal with when it got so close before.

Kelsey is a great heroine - she has a brain the size of a small planet, has great integrity and will fight for what she believes in. She'd struggled to cope with being the partner of a SEAL and had given Gage and ultimatum- her or the teams. This is, of course, absolutely the wrong thing to do but, as a military wife myself, I do understand the constant worry of waiting at home not knowing where they are, when they are coming home and, most of all, the awful that fear that they will be injured or even killed.

Gage. Oh my, gage! Be still my beating heart. He is one heck of a gorgeous alpha-hero and you don't get much more alpha than a Navy Seal and I think he is my most favourite Laura Griffin hero to date. He's never stopped loving Kelsey but he couldn't choose her over his calling, his need to serve his country but now her life is threatened and this has awaked the sleeping lion that is Gage's protectiveness where Kelsey is concerned and nothing will stop him from putting himself between her and danger. They embark on a sizzling, on the run style adventure that gallops from one situation to the next that will definitely keep you in suspense as the story twists and turns and gallops towards its gripping conclusion.

This really has everything you could hope for in a romantic suspense - a heroine you can identify with, a smoking hot protective alpha hero, a tense, gripping plot and a sweet romance. What's not to love?

4 stars romantic suspense.

As a forensic anthropologist, Kelsey Quinn is used to dead bodies. But usually they weren't murdered in the next room.

When the killers realize she got a good look at them, Kelsey leaps off the balcony and the chase is on. Since she recognized one of the killers as an FBI agent, contacting the police is out of the question until she can figure out what's what.

Then who should show up to help but Gage Brewer, the man who'd dumped her when she'd asked him to chose between her and his precious SEAL team.

She trusts Gage with her life but not her heart. As much as she yearns for him to just stay gone so she can heal, she desperately needs his help unraveling a conspiracy that goes higher than she ever imagined with unthinkable consequences if they fail to stop it in time.

Action, adventure, suspense, intrigue, romance... great read.

Kelsey Quinn and Gage Brewster have chemistry, not all of it good. After her fiance Blake is murdered in his apartment Kelsey and Gage are suspects until they can prove they aren't. Meanwhile someone is trying to kill Kelsey and Gage makes it his mission to protect her while trying to catch up to the real culprits and stop a terrorist attack.
This story is one non-stop suspenseful and explosive ride. It is full of action and Laura Griffin gives her characters plenty of attitude.
If you haven't checked out SCORCHED you should. Hang on to your seat its a bumpy ride.

Great romantic suspense! It's fairly evenly balanced between suspense and romance with good chemistry between Gage and Kelsey. I did have a little trouble warming up to Kelsey due to her decisions about their relationship. Everyone knows you NEVER give anyone an ultimatum, and she was being unreasonable anyway. Then at the end, she did a complete 180. It just bugged me and made me not like her quite as much as Gage, who was super sexy and hot. But like every other book in this series, I highly recommend it.

SCORCHED is Laura Griffin at her best. The main characters, Kelsey and Gage, pull you into their lives and keep you on the edge of your seat. Between running for their lives and rediscovering the love they walked away from, they must uncover the truth behind Kelsey's ex-fiances murder. Of course having the FBI and the bad guys chasing you doesn't help. With a perfect mixture of suspense, danger, and romance, I highly recommend this book.

I really enjoy Laura Griffin's Tracers series. While I liked Scorched, it wasn't one of the better Tracers books. I didn't feel the chemistry between Kelsey & Gage. In the end, they were great characters. I just never connected with them.

POW!! Another amazing book from Laura Griffin.
Gage Brewer is a Navy SEAL on a mission when things go south and his commander is killed in a helicopter crash.
Kelsey is a forensic anthropologist on a peace mission recovering bodies that were murdered by Filipino terrorists, when she discovers another body in the jungle off the beaten path. Turns out he is one of the terrorists that Gage and his company are looking for.
Soon after Kelsey returns stateside Gage tries to rekindle their relationship, but Kelsey was too hurt by Gage.
They are thrown together by terrorists trying to finish what they started and get rid of the anthropologist that can read bones.