Explosive Christmas Showdown (Crisis Rescue Team, 2)

Once again, Darlene L Turner does not disappoint. Make sure your seat belt is fastened for this one. Explosive Christmas Showdown is a wild ride filled with non stop action. I found myself holding my breath as Olive, Zac, and his K-9 detector dog Ziva race to catch the Jingle Bell Bomber. Can they figure out his identity and stop him before another present explodes? My thanks to the author/publisher for the ARC of this book. I was only asked to write an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

An action-packed Christmas story from Darlene L. Turner and Love Inspired Suspense! The Jingle Bell Bomber is wreaking havoc on the Christmas season, and Olive and Zac seem to be the ones capable of putting an end to it. Of course, as they work together, these two must delve into their shared history—and maybe even find a way into a shared future (after all the danger is done). I love a good Christmas story, and Explosive Christmas Showdown definitely provides some twists and turns in addition to romance. I enjoyed following this couple as they skirted danger and revealed secrets, and I am sure that any romantic-suspense lover will have with this one, too, this holiday season. I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

EXPLOSIVE CHRISTMAS SHOWDOWN by Darlene L. Turner is the first book in the Crisis Rescue Team series. It’s the inspirational suspense/romance story of criminal investigative analyst Olive Wells, her ex- fiancé - Constable Zac Turner and his K-9 - Ziva as they try to figure out who the Jingle Bell Bomber is, what his motive is, how his victims are connected to one another and how can they catch him in order to keep him from killing again. Olive, known as Olly by those close to her, has a deep secret. When she was in college, she got pregnant. It ended in a miscarriage that almost took her life. To make matters worse, it happened at Christmas which left the holidays bringing her down instead of the fun holiday spirit most folks enjoyed. It’s a secret that she’s not told anyone – not even her family since she was out of town at the time. Due to her miscarriage and its difficulties, she’s convinced herself that she could never carry a child. She threw herself into her work with the resolve that a relationship just couldn’t happen because of her fears. Then she met Zac who broke through her defenses. When he broke their engagement, she was crushed. Her fear of giving birth to a child didn’t mean she’d given up on having a child altogether. In fact, she became the foster parent to a fabulous 5 year old named Grace. She’s hoping to make being her being her mother a permanent thing by having started adoption proceedings. Zac has secrets of his own. During his engagement to Olly, he discovered that he isn’t who he always thought he was. He found his birth certificate, but the name listed was Devin Burns. Seems his mother had actually married and had a son (him) with British Columbia mob boss Harry Burn. When her eyes were finally opened as to who her husband was and what all he had done, she packed her son up and ran. She legally changed their names and tried to stay hidden from this monster. He also learned that his father had threatened both his mother and him claiming he would get his revenge on them and anyone they loved for leaving him. It was the fear of what he would do and his great love for Olly that had him breaking their engagement. It was the hardest thing he had to do, but for her safety and that of her family, he knew it’s what he had to do. He also knew he couldn’t tell her why he was breaking up with her. Imagine the shock when they found out that the Jingle Bell Bomber had teamed them up to play his little game of life and death with a Christmas theme. On top of that, Olive has a tremendous fear of dogs ever since she had been attached by one. However, due to their professionalism and the great desire to stop the killings, they put their past behind them to work together. Olive knew she was going to have to put her fear of dogs on hold in order to do so. She COULD DO THIS! What is the con...