The series centres on the lives and trials & tribulations of the members of Lifeline, an elite private search and rescue team based in Banff in the Canadian Rockies. Since the team members are introduced and the base relationship dynamics established in the first book, this is definitely a series where the reader benefits from reading the books in order—though the story in HIGH PASSION technically stands on its own. Devon Leblanc and Alisha Bailey are Lifeline’s youngest members and lead climbers, hotshots from their recent school days where they were always competing with each other to be the best. That competition has bled over into their Lifeline work as good-natured bickering and teasing… and, as Lifeline helicopter pilot Erin puts it, the longest verbal foreplay in history, since the competitiveness and quips are partly a front to hide their attraction to each other. That undercurrent of attraction is palpable throughout the first book in the series (making us readers wonder WHEN and HOW, not IF, they’ll give in) and comes to a head in HIGH PASSION, when Alisha’s moment of panic during a rescue forces her and Devon to work closely together to identify any potential triggers for that panic without the rest of the team knowing. As tends to happen when two adults who’ve been denying their sexual attraction for years spend even more time together, they finally give in and start burning up the sheets. And, boy, do they burn—in typical Arend fashion, the love scenes are frequent and hot enough to melt your e-reader (if perhaps more ‘vanilla’ than those in HIGH RISK). I’d really liked both Alisha and Devon in the first book, so watching these laid-back, fun-loving but incredibly devoted characters go from sexually frustrated rivals to lovers to forever after was great fun. The fact that both of them have serious family issues—Alisha is the daughter of a rich Toronto businessman who insists she’s just playing at search and rescue and sowing her wild oats before settling down into her life as a socialite and Devon’s (also wealthy) family keeps hounding him to grow up and get a ‘real’ job and a family—adds another layer of complexity to their characters and their relationship and makes them real and relatable.
I liked the characters, I liked the build-up and execution of the romantic relationship and the sense of camaraderie within the team that gets stronger in each book, I enjoyed the steamy love scenes, and I loved Ms. Arend’s writing style (as always). But what didn’t really work for me was Vincent, the ‘villain’ in the story: a wealthy Bailey family friend who works for Alisha’s father and will go to any length to get controlling interest in the company. He felt like a cardboard supervillain simply added in to add a layer of intrigue to the storyline, and his actions felt a tad extreme and unrealistic. I love some good suspense mixed in with my romance and read a lot of thrillers and romantic suspense, but I found myself rolling my eyes a bit at Vincent’s antics and felt that that entire subplot didn’t contribute much to the story. Likewise with Lana, the new member coordinating the Lifeline call-outs and pushing for a place on the team. I found myself enjoying the bits with Devon and Alisha and their budding relationship much more than anything else.
HIGH PASSION is a solid entry into the series (though, in my opinion, not as good as HIGH RISK) and has everything one has come to expect and love from Ms. Arend’s contemporaries. I really enjoy the Lifeline team, and I’m looking forward to reading chopper pilot Erin’s story in 2014.
**ARC provided by Publisher**
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thanks so much for the review. I've been on the fence about this series after reading a disappointing review of the first book. Now I will download High Risk that's on sale for $1.99 and go out and find High Passion. Thank you!
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