Dying to Live - Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou

Book: Dying to Live
Authors: Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books

Note to self: When suffering from a high fever, pounding headache, and severe chest congestion, do not read a book about a genetically engineered uber virus with a near 100% mortality rate, no matter how hot the women are between the covers.

Dying to Live is book #4 in the Baldwin & Alexiou Elite Operatives Series. It's 384 pages of hot, humid, flea-infested, gut-wrenching, tilt-a-whirl action that holds you hostage until the final word.

It's the story of Fetch, an Elite Operative who's strength is going deep undercover on Search & Rescue missions. She's embedded and serves as a Medic with the FARC, a radical guerilla group that kidnaps and ransoms unsuspecting folks. Her mission is to rescue three Italians and two Kiwi's, but ends up being asked to include Zoe, a seemingly self-centered, immature, socialite who picks up the wrong girl in a Columbian gay bar. Our jungle girls square off, first against each other, then against the guerillas, the jungle, and then the uber virus. We're reintroduced to Domino, Allegro & Lynx, heroines (and their respective gal pals) from the first three books, Reno (the token male agent who sits at a computer in Colorado and hacks things on demand), and Monty Pierce, Joanne Grant and David Arthur, EEO's Kerberos.

The book starts off a tad slow, as we're introduced to the dastardly scientist that creates the uber virus; and Zoe, her fall from Grace, and her kidnapping. 

There was, admittedly, a little blip of life as Zoe gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "head of the table" . . .

I digress, nothing wrong with a slow building up, I was just excited to get to know Fetch.

I know that probably sounds whiny, but I have a crush on every one of the Elite Operatives (except Reno, of course), so for me, the book started when Fetch slipped her sunglasses on and thought lovingly of the drugs the EOO slip her to make her a better machine. Thump. Thump.

The villains in this book truly display the pock-marked faces of evil. From the sicko Dr. Andor Rozsa, to the smelly Diego Barriga, and almost every male in between.

Well, except for Reno . . . he's not much fun at parties, but he knows how to sit, stay, roll over, and transfer money from Swiss bank accounts.

We're reintroduced, in fairly great detail, to Domino and Allegro - some of the best dialogue in the book comes from the interaction between these two Operatives. Domino is still fairly focused and serious, but Allegro is on a roll and delights the reader by baiting Domino at every opportunity. Of course, it's all in jest, since they see each other as 'sisters' and best friends.

Speaking of 'sisters', just a point here: The EOO discourages the Operatives from developing personal ties to anyone. Yet, Domino has Haley (and her baby bump), Allegro has Kris, Lynx has Phantom Jack, Fetch was going to marry Sam, until she got flattened in Afghanistan (but now she has a reluctant thing for Zoe); Monty is getting it on with Joanne, but sees both Lynx and Phantom Jack as 'daughters' (maybe?) . . . oh, and David Arthur has a special spot for Fetch, his perfect little automoton soldier.

I wouldn't change a thing, but it seems to me that Kerberos needs to reevaluate the fraternization section of it's Employee Handbook . . . just sayin'!

Okay, I loved, loved, loved this book (and before I read it, I reread the first three to get me into the mood) . . . but with the good, comes a few things the authors need to think about . . . any maybe they have, but I'm being impatient: They give hints of back story for each of the Elite Operatives, but never really fill in the blanks. For instance, why does Fetch and a few other Operatives need to take Provigil, Propranolol, Electroporation, and Biafine? Perfect soldier? Sounds like perfect addict to me . . .

(is anyone else humming Michael Jackson's 'The Way You Make Me Feel'?)

Likewise, in Missing Lynx, Book #3, the authors allude to some sort of long lost, special relationship between Phantom Jack and Monty Pierce, but by the end of Book #4, we still don't know what or why. Anyway, I guess I just want to know 'the rest of the story'.

I don't want to give the ending away, but I'll tell you that we have the requisite nipples straining against t-shirts and appreciation of firm asses in camo.  I bawled my eyes out and did a happy jig all in the space of thrity minutes - the ending is slippery, fast-paced, intense, and painful. It keeps you on the hook until the final word, which made me almost angry, but only because I want to know what happens next.

I'm not normally a fan of collaborations in literature, but make no mistake: Baldwin and Alexiou are an unparalleled, dynamic duo that can write the heck out of these characters, while dropping them in and plucking them right back out of the deepest, darkest heart of Bigbadville.

I'm already tapping my foot loudly for Book #5, Demons are Forever.

On the Rainbow Scale, I'll give it a 5.8 out of 6.

Whitewater Rendezvous by Kim Baldwin

Book:  Whitewater Rendezvous
Author:  Kim Baldwin
Publisher:  Bold Strokes Books


It's been a few days since I've posted a fresh review - I've been reading, but not sure what sort of book I wanted to put up next to bat. I've read some nice romances [thump, thump goes my squishy little heart] and some adventure tales [full of studly butches and femmes who actually kick off their shoes when they need to run from the bad guys], but nothing that really smacked me up side the head. So, I went back through my collection and pulled out my trusty Kim Baldwin Romances . . . what I love about Kim is that she always has a delectable, adventuresome, androgynously handsome butch with slick skills [thump, thump], and another chick that causes her to change her solitary ways.

And who doesn't like a little lovin' in the wilderness with a Grizzly Bear gnawing on your tube of toothpaste and swarms of mosquitos buzzing outside the tent?

Whitewater Rendezvous is the tale of Chaz Herrick, a veritable triple threat: She's a popular Biology professor, an experienced wilderness guide, and has lovely breasts. While leading a whitewater expedition for the Broads in Broadcasting, a cornucopia of network straight, bi- and lesbian executives, reporters, camerawomen, and writers from the Windy City, she comes face-to face [and a few other places] with a woman that rattles her sense of propriety and causes her to burn her hash browns. 

Megan Maxwell is a VP at World News Central, and is five-years into a denial-induced stressathon - her ex, the lovely Rita had an affair, took up with another woman, and left her with nothing but her own lovely breasts. Angst and frustration ensue when Megan finds out that Chaz looks oh so similar to Rita. Megan tries her darndest to freeze out Chaz, but her best efforts are for naught as she finds herself falling quickly for her guide. And Chaz, our concertina-playing adventurer is driven to such distraction, she totally misses the musk ox.

Have no fear, the musk ox was late for a date with a big ol' pile of native grasses, reeds, and sedges.

Kim Baldwin has admirable skills when it comes to capturing the great outdoors - she knows her rapids, respects the flora and fauna, and is able to plop down a little political shout out to maintaining conservation causes without sounding preachy and 'know it all'. Her main characters are people you want to know, and her secondary characters actually contribute to the story. All too often, writers bring in friends and colleagues only as a vehicle to get a certain point covered in the book, then the friends and colleagues disappear for the rest of the story. Ms. Baldwin gracefully sidesteps that gravity pit, and is heartily cheered, here in this study!

In my review of The Target by Gerri Hill, I dinged her a bit for having too many secondary characters in the group of women hiking through the mountains - occasionally one of them would say something, and I'd get lost as to which one she was supposed to be. In Whitewater Rendezvous, Kim Baldwin introduces her own gaggle of women, but each is fully described, different enough from her compatriots, and presents distinct personality facets and dialogue traits. 

Of course, Gerri Hill had ten women [most of them straight and dowdy] and Kim Baldwin only had six, so there was a bit of natural momentum on her side.

Here's a point I want to linger on for a bit:  Megan, our uber-VP has a photographic memory. 

I always wanted to have that, but instead got a jaunty cowlick and bad eyesight. 

The only problem I have with her memory is that she's a workaholic, but still found time to read every publication ever written about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge so that she could talk intelligently and in great detail with our biology professing whitewater wonder, Chaz. In my considerable estimate, that would be a wee bit of our famed 'literary license'. 

Not enough of a bother that it even remotely ruined the book for me, but just sayin'.

There was also a bit of a leap between Megan giving Chaz the cold shoulder, and Chaz being annoyed by this latest out-of-touch 'muffy', and them both suddenly catching elicit looks at each other's breasts, and developing their own secret crushes. Still, as a reader, I wanted it to work, took the leap, and didn't mind that much in the end.

So here's where we stand with Whitewater Rendezvous . . . 

The book had action: A grizzly bear deciding to share a tent with Megan.

The book had adventure: A hoard of fun broads amiably paddling down a wild river in the deepest heart of Alaska.

The book had suspense: Will Megan survive when her kayak flips?

The book had drama: Will Chaz fall prey to Elise's naked ambush in the hot springs?

The book had food: Pasta primavera, blueberry muffins, lasagna, Caesar salad, brownies, grilled fish.

The book had improbable sex:  Including a night of wild, lusty passion in a bear-ripped tent, in a snow storm, awaiting a rescue helicopter on the banks of a raging river, with a sprained shoulder and a nasty gash on the forehead.

In other words, this book has a little somethin' somethin' for everyone!!

Seriously, I love Kim Baldwin's books. They're fun, interesting, and have a nice balance of action, adventure, and romance. Her women, while messed up like the rest of us, are smart, sexy, and not afraid to wear flannel with lacy panties.

Oorah!! Keep 'em coming, Kim!

On the Rainbow Scale, I'll give it a fun and fabulous 5.4 out of 6.